Kiss Goodbye
by ItsOverWhenItsOver
Summary: The Hunger Games; a wandless fight to the death. For the Next-gen Weasleys, every year is a constant terror that one of them might be chosen. But never even in their worst nightmares did they imagine this: All of them, pitted against each other. And there can be only one winner...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I can feel Teddy's breath on the back of my neck as I wake. His arms are still wrapped around me, but if I move very slowly I might be able to get away without him waking up. I don't want to see him this morning, of all mornings; the morning of the reaping.

I'm eighteen, so this is my last year, but still the whole process makes me feel sick to my stomach, although there's more than one thing that could be causing me that feeling at the moment.

I gently untangle Teddy's arms from my waist, and try to scoot over slowly, trying not to make a sound, or make the bed move too much, but of course it doesn't work.

"Trying to leave me so early, Toire?" He mumbles sleepily, a light chuckle in his voice, lifting up a hand and placing it onto my shoulder.

I look back at him and smile, immediately hiding my fear and uncertainty. "I should be getting back. I want to see Mum and Dad before…"

Trailing off, I give him a half-hearted smile and sigh, betraying my fear for the first time and continuing to get up, avoiding his eyes.

He catches my arm and props himself up on the pillows so he can look straight at me, his hair shifting to a casual shade of pale blue, "Hey, don't think like that; they're not going to pick you. Of course they won't pick you."

His words do nothing to reassure me, and I lie back down again, burrowing into his chest. "But they'll pick someone; one of us. They can't not, not after Harry and-"

"Shh," He puts a finger to my lips and shakes his head. "Harry has done enough for us all that the capitol won't punish him. They can't. People depend on him too much."

I remain defiant, "But if he'd succeeded then there would have been a full uprising, they won't let that go just because he's-"

"No. The public in the capitol love him far too much for them to ever do anything to hurt him."

"Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily include his family. They're going to rig it. I know they will, they'll put in one of us, or even two. I mean, what about Lucy? What if they pick Lucy?"

I'm almost frantic now, hysteria rising inside of me. In District twelve it's common knowledge how close the Weasleys are. I'm sure it would be simple for anyone from the Capitol to find out that information and pass it on.

Teddy looks as if he's trying to figure out how to answer. He knows I'm right. He must know the logic behind it.

"Please don't be scared. If anyone does get chosen, then I'll be there with them. I'll help them. I'll make sure they win."

Closing my eyes, I block out the view of the bedroom in his posh, tall, elegant Victors Village home. I hate it when he does anything so much as refer to his time in the games. I can remember how horrible it was. Watching him as he fought for his life, and then when he got back, trying to pretend that it didn't matter to me how much blood he had on his hands.

"Hey. Hey." Teddy comforts, taking my hand and sitting up a little, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "It's alright; I'm here. I won't let them hurt anyone. No-one's going to get hurt, I promise."

My eyes fill up with tears as I cling onto him, "It's the Hunger Games Teddy, not getting hurt isn't an option."

There's silence for a few seconds, in which Teddy quietly kisses the top of my head. "Toire, it's alright. I'm here."

I close my eyes and lean into him, and there's another lengthy silence. I hear Teddy sigh and rest his head back against the pillows, relieved that at least I didn't seem to be hysterical any more.

"Where do your parents think you are?" He asks, changing the subject, "Not here, obviously."

"An old school friends'; her name's Elisabeth. She dropped out of Hogwarts, so I decided I ought to pay her a visit. It was late, and we'd had a few drinks, so I stayed over the night." Despite my foul mood, I smirk slightly. "She's good, because she's smart enough to give me an alibi, even if I haven't asked her first."

Teddy nods, "Do you know what the time is?"

I check my watch. It's the one Teddy got me for my seventeenth birthday, easily the most valuable thing I own. "Almost nine." I say.

"Damn." Teddy sits up properly, shifting me off him and looking away out of the window. "I have to be in the justice building for half past."

Sighing, I sit up too and follow his gaze. There isn't much to see, just sky and the roofs of the other Victor's Village buildings, but I can guess what he's thinking about.

"Teddy, it's not your fault."

He shakes his head and looks down at the bedsheets.

"It's not your job to feel guilty because of whoever's chosen. It's your job to make sure that they win."

"They?" His eyebrows flicker upwards, "I'm the only victor twelve's had for nearly fifty years. I'm the only mentor we have, and I can't save both of-"

"Teddy!" I exclaim, grabbing hold of his arm and forcing him to look me in the eye. "Whatever happens this year, you are_ not_ to blame. You can't help what you're given, right? You have to just make the best of things, yeah?"

He nods slowly. "I… I guess so, 'Toire. At least after this year's over you'll be out of the reapings and we can move on." He smiles a little. "I won't have to worry about you so much anymore."

I smile, and try to stop my hands from curling around my stomach, as they seem to do so often nowadays.

"Yeah," I shrug, "Maybe we could even start a family."

He sighs, kissing the side of my head quickly, "Honey, we've talked about this. I won the Hunger Games. I can't have children. I can't put them through the Reapings, I can't watch my children have to do what I've done. And it'd be cruel to bring a child into a world like this one. I'm sorry, but I can never have kids. You get it, don't you?"

I nod, small tears forming in the corners of my eyes. What am I going to do? How am I going to tell him? I'd forced myself to wait until after this year's Games are over, but afterwards I won't have any excuse. Watching Teddy now, I wonder if being chosen for the Hunger Games might be a blessing, compared to having to see his reaction.

He'll be angry. At me, himself, the Capitol.

I wonder what he'd do if I told him now, if I just opened my mouth and said it.

_Teddy, I'm pregnant._

No. I can't. I have to find someone else. Someone I can trust to not spill.

_Dommie,_ Is the first name to come to me. My little sister. She's always been the one that I can trust with everything. I don't to burden her with it, but I guess if anyone has to know then it should be her.

"Come on, Teddy," I sigh, "I need to get home, Mum and Dad'll be wondering where I am."

He nods and I turn sideways, standing up out of bed and trying to find my clothes. Teddy stays where he is.

As I pull on my dress -My best dress; my reaping dress- I frown, noticing how tight it is around my stomach.

Turning so that my back is to Teddy, I wrap my arms around the tiny bump, letting worry fill my expression for the first time.

Suddenly there are hands at my back, and Teddy is there. He zips up the back of my dress and kisses my neck quickly, pulling me into a hug.

"Your Reaping dress?" He asks, eyebrows raised, "Surely you didn't put that on to impress me." He mocks, tucking a strand of my hair behind her ear.

"It's my best dress!" I protest, blushing an attractive shade of lobster red, "I wanted to look good for you!"

He laughs a little, kissing me again, "It's alright, I was only teasing," He shrugs, "You look nice."

I blush again and hug him.

"You know what, Toire?" He grins, "After this year's Games are over, I'll buy you fifty dresses from the Capitol. You won't have to wear that ever again."

The prospect of never having to wear this dress again does sound appealing, but I'm too distracted to dwell on it. I need to find Dom.

My hands are still clamped firmly over my stomach, shielding it from his view. I know I'm being paranoid; if he didn't notice it last night, I doubt he'll see it now. But I can't have him know before the Reaping is over. If I'm picked, then he won't be able to cope losing us both, however much he might not want the child.

The child.

My child.

Should that word make me as happy as it does? I understand what Teddy means about not wanting kids, but still...

"'Toire?" Teddy asks, and I look up quickly, realising that he must have been speaking while I was stood, lost in thought.

"Sorry Teddy," I mutter, "I-I should go."

He nods, but looks concerned, furrowing his brow as he watches me leave.

It doesn't take me long to get out of the Victors Village, but longer to find a gap where I can sneak out through the iron gates without anyone being around to see me.

The walk home after that is short, and luckily it doesn't seem like Mum and Dad are in. That's good; I don't need a questioning right now.

There are loud voices coming from mine and Dom's bedroom, and I push the door open to find Dom, all the other Potter-Weasley girls, plus Albus sat there. Rose and Lucy have plaited his hair, and it looks like there's lipstick smeared on his face. Nevertheless, he doesn't look too perturbed by it.

When I enter there's a lengthy pause, and then everyone bursts out laughing. I get the feeling they might have been talking about me.

Albus looks around confusedly at the laughter and then shrugs, apparently oblivious to whatever the previous conversation was.

"Victoire, you _reek_!" Dommie exclaims with delight, "Jesus, go take a shower or something."

What? I smell?

I lean down and sniff at myself, but I can't smell anything at all.

"No not like that!" She laughs, winking, "You reek of Teddy!"

I reek of Teddy? I- Oh, I forgot about her and her super-scent; inherited from Dad and his werewolf genes. I got the Veela, Dommie got the Werewolf, and Louis got… Weasley hair.

I roll my eyes and look downwards, blushing, "You caught me." I shrug.

Lucy, who's reading a book and doesn't look particularly interested in the conversation, shuffles up to make a space for me to sit on my bed. I take it, and look over at Roxy, who's giggling.

"So,' Toire…" She drawls, dragging out my name as long as she can, leaning forwards with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "You know Teddy…" She twirls her hair in between her fingers, her mouth forming into a smirk.

"Yes," I say slowly, suspicious, "I've heard of him."

She laughs, and then says, "Well, you know how he's, like, a metamorphawhatsamajig?"

"...Metamorphmagus…"

I'm starting to get a bit worried now, I have a feeling I know what's coming.

"Well, you know how he can grow his nails and stuff whenever he wants…"

_Oh god._

"Yes?"

"Well, we were just wondering if he can… y'know… grow anything else as well?"

I don't say anything, looking down and going bright red.

It's Albus that speaks first, looking around at us all, still completely oblivious to what we're talking about. "'Course he can," He mutters confusedly, "Last week he was showing James and Freddie how he can lick his eyebrows."

There's a pause, in which if it's even possible, I blush even darker.

Then, all at once, Roxy, Molly, Dommie and Rose go, "EWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"Albus that's disgusting!" Lily exclaims, laughing uncontrollably, "I can't believe you just said that!"

Albus looks around at us all blankly, "What? What did I say? What did I-"

"Ignore them Al," I say coldly, unamused, having regained my composure. "They're just being very childish."

He shrugs and begins inspecting his nails, which, thanks to Rose, have been painted a rather garish shade of Orange.

Shaking my head and sighing, I turn to Dom. "I need to talk to you. Now."

She nods, at once seeing the agitated, nervous look on my face that I've been trying so hard to hide. Following me out of the room, she overtakes me and leads down the hallway, where we walk inside Mum and Dad's room and I sit down on the bed, letting all of my anguish wash over my face.

"Toire?" Dommie asks, coming over and putting an arm around me, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Dommie…" I look up and there are tears in my eyes, choking on the words. "Dom I'm pregnant."

At first her face registers shock, and then morphs to concern. "But- What- You mean- You've actually- Jesus, we were kidding about Teddy! I thought you'd just bumped into him on the way here from Elisabeth's… Wait. Have you even been to Elisabeth's? Did you- Did you spent the night with Teddy!"

I hang my head, not thinking that telling Dom is such a good idea any more. She's too smart.

"Victoire…" She sighs, touching my cheek gently so that she can turn my head to face her, "Does he know?"

I shake my head and bite my lip, looking downwards again. "He said it'd be cruel to bring a child into the world. That he could never have a kid. Oh Dommie I don't know what-"

There's a hesitant knock at the door, and then it opens a little way, and Rose's head sticks out from behind it.

"'Toire, Lucy's crying. She won't listen to me or Molly. She says she wants you."

Damn. I've completely forgotten about Lucy. She's only twelve; it's her first year. Of course she's scared. I should have realised straight away. Thinking back now, I realise how much she was shaking when I sat beside her.

"O-ok." I mutter, wiping my eyes quickly before Rose can see that I've been crying. "I'm coming now."

Dom doesn't protest as I leave.

Lucy's sat exactly where she was before, book still clutched in her shaking hands. Tears streak her face, and I can tell she's been hiding her fear for a long time now.

"Lucy." I sigh, walking into the bedroom and sitting down beside her and placing it down on the floor. Putting my arms around her, I hug her tightly and quickly kiss her forehead.

Turning, I bluntly say, "Out." To the others and wait until they've closed the door behind them.

"Oh, Lucy," I say quietly, "It's ok to be frightened; it's alright."

She bursts into loud sobs and clutches at me, her face buried in my hair.

"Luce, I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen to me now, alright? Six years ago my name was first entered into the Hunger Games. I was the same age as you are now, twelve. Back then, there was no cousins. I was the only one. Apart from Teddy, of course, but I had only spoken to a few times before." I pause, and look down at her; she's listening intently, watching me as I talk. "That was the first year that they changed the rules. Instead of a boy and a girl, it was just two random children picked out from each district. I was-" I stop for a second, swallowing hard, "I was chosen."

Lucy gasps. This wasn't what she was expecting at all. She was too young to remember when it happened, and it was hardly something I talked about in normal conversation.

"I can't tell you what was going through my brain when I was walking up to the stage. Terror, I think. I don't know. It was like time just stopped. And then something happened. Someone spoke. Somebody volunteered."

I stop talking for a second and check her expression.

"T-Teddy?" She asks, and I nod slowly.

"I'd barely even spoken to him before that. I vaguely knew him through Harry, but…" I shrug, "It was completely out of the blue. I went to see him in the justice building, asked him why. He said it was because he couldn't stand being here and knowing that I was somewhere else. He said he loved me."

She smiles, and I see a bit of the seven-year-old who used to beg me to tell her fairy stories when I came over to babysit. Lucy was always a dreamer.

"The point is, Lucy," I sigh, "If your name gets picked, think of all of the rest of us. Your sister, your cousins. You think James will sit by and watch you go off to the Games? No, of course he won't. You're lucky. You're like me. You've got people there who won't let anything happen to you."

She frowns a little, and looks up at me, "But didn't you feel guilty? Watching him fight and knowing that it should have been you?"

Sometimes, I forget how smart Lucy is. She's a Gryffindor, like me, but I'm sure she should have been in Ravenclaw with Molly.

"Yes." I say quietly, "It was horrible, having to watch him fight, when he got burned by the river."

Teddy's games are widely accepted as being one of the most vicious ever. Rivers of scolding water, mutated vultures that attacked at the scent of just one drop of blood. It was horrible, and I know that I wouldn't have lasted three seconds in there.

Teddy was smart though, he knew exactly what to do, and how to use his Metamorphmagus skills to get himself out alive. For a minute I think of the girl from two. The last tribute left besides Teddy. How he killed her by sharpening his fingernails into points and giving her what looked like a hug until we saw the blood start pouring out of her mouth, and watched Teddy's nails grown out of the front of her chest, clean through her.

Needless to say, he has a gruesome reputation in the Capitol and the other districts. People both fear and envy him.

"Look, Lucy, you're not going to get chosen."

She nods, and gives me one last hug before standing up. "I suppose I should go and see M-Mum and Dad." She says, "They're probably wondering where I am."

I stand up with her and smile. "Try not to think about it too much, Luce, tonight you'll be sat there at home and there'll be nothing for you to worry about. And, all else fails," I shrug, "I hear the Capitol food is fantastic."

She laughs thinly, heading out of the room to where Dom, Rose, Molly, Lily and Albus are waiting. Roxy must have already gone home. Molly takes Lucy by the hand, and everyone files out of the house, leaving me alone with Dommie.

"How do you do that?" She asks, turning to smile at me.

"Do what?"

"You know," She says, her brow furrowing, "How do you know exactly what to say to make everyone feel better?"

I just shrug.

"Are you ok now though?" Dom asks, "Do you still want to talk?"

Shaking my head, I look down at the floor. "It's alright," I say quietly, "I'll just have to suck it up and tell him. He'll be angry, I guess, but… things'll turn out ok."

She smiles at me, and heads back along to our bedroom, "Help me do my hair for the Reaping?"

"Sure. No problem."

* * *

"Welcome welcome, to the 71st annual Hunger Games!" Comes Effie Trinket's voice as she stands before us, smiling widely, "I trust you're all well?"

No-one replies, and she smiles again, launching into the annual, pre-written speech, explaining the Hunger Games, and what they entail. I only listen to snippets, searching the stage for Teddy, wondering why he's not there.

"…and so The Hunger Games was created; a wandless fight to the death for twenty four children of Panem…"

Glancing around me, I see Lucy, stood at the far back, trembling again.

"Now this year, due to recent events, there shall be certain changes to the rules. And to announce them, I give you our very own President Snow."

Effie is the only one to applaud, gesturing up to the giant screen set up above the stage. It flickers, and suddenly is filled with the white haired, snake eyed Ruler of Panem, our _brave_ and _noble_ leader: President Snow.

He smiles at us all, his eyes staring directly into the camera and making each person feel as if they have been noticed personally.

"Seventy four years ago, there were the dark days." He begins, his voice booming out through loud speakers, far louder than necessary, and making some very young children who don't know better cover their ears and hide. "Uprisings against the Capitol lead to Rebellions, and countless lives lost. After that, the Hunger Games were created, in order to remind each and every citizen of the crimes of their ancestors. Of course, the vast majority listen to this message, but there are some who choose to ignore it." He hisses, slowing down and taking his time on every single syllable.

A shiver goes through the crowd, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Harry put his head into his hands.

"There are some who believe that celebrity status will save them from punishment, or perhaps protect them from the repercussions that uprisings can bring. Well I can tell you now; these people are severely mistaken. In this year's games, I am pleased to announce that there will only be half of the number of contestants. And each and every one shall come from only one district, and within this, one family."

No. No no no.

I hear murmurs through the crowd, and I know that I'm not the only one to figure this out.

"These twelve tributes will each be given a Mentor from Each district, in order of age, and the winnings will go to the district of the Mentor, not the Champion."

There's movement on the stage now, and I see a line of people led by Teddy traipsing onto the stage.

Teddy looks absolutely livid, his hair and eyes a jet black that you never see until he's ready to explode with rage. He's staring at me, mouthing something I can't hear. I have a horrible feeling it might be, "run". But I can't. I'm frozen with horror, staring straight forwards and trying my very best not to look around at my family.

President Snow says some more words, but I don't hear them. I can't hear anything. I can't breathe, I can't move, I can't speak. I'm frozen until the video link switches off and Effie steps cheerfully back up to the mike.

"So, it's time to announce the District Twelve contestants." She takes out a list and carries on smiling, her green curls bobbing up and down excitedly with her head. "Firstly, and mentored by Katrina Gold from District one: Miss Lucy Weasley."

Any doubt any of us had about the plans for this year's games are obliterated as Lucy, finally having stopped trembling, steps up to the stage to stand next to a pretty young woman with shiny purple lipstick. I remember her as being the winner from just two years ago. She doesn't look at all happy about this new arrangement for the Games. In fact she's glaring at Effie, absolute loathing in her eyes. As Lucy reaches her Katrina puts a steadying hand on her shoulder, giving her a small smile and whispering some words of comfort.

Effie is already speaking again, and I try to figure out who's second youngest. Hugo's name is called, and he moves forwards to stand by a giant muscled man with a face contorted into an amused smirk. He clamps one hand down onto Hugo's shoulder tightly, ignoring the fact that Hugo flinches away with terror in his eyes.

More of my cousins are called up. First Lily, and then I bite down hard on my tongue to stop myself from crying out as Louis, my baby brother, walks up to the stage.

Roxy, Albus and Molly are next, and each of them looks as if they're in shock, movements robotic and expressions stricken.

This can't be happening. Everything I confessed to Teddy this morning, all of my worst nightmares have come true and then some. Because never, even in my worst fears did I imagine anything like this could happen. This is wrong. Every fibre of my body knows how wrong it is. The people around me look disgusted, and Laura, a girl who I've been friends with since I was seven and stands beside me now, squeezes my hand.

Rose and Freddie are called up, and then Dom.

She pushes through the crowds to get past, and, as she passes me, gently brushes her hand against my stomach, our eyes locking. She looks only determined.

Then James is called, not taking his eyes of Lily as he walks up, continuing to stare at her as he takes his place.

I know who comes next now. Eleven members of my family now stand upon the stage, and now there's only one left for the Capitol to claim.

"And finally, our tribute to be Mentored by her own Districts Theodore Lupin, we have Victoire Weasley." Effie calls, her voice high and still full of that incessantly cheerful tone.

For a second, I don't move, and then Laura gives me a shove and I stumble forwards, trying not to look at anyone but Teddy. The pain in his face is unbearable.

I step up onto the stage, walking past all of my cousins and siblings, and fall into Teddy's waiting arms. He holds me tightly and I manage to turn to face the crowd.

Mum is crying. And Dad stands holding her, staring at the floor. I see similar reactions throughout the rest of the family. Apart from Harry. Harry is crouched on the floor, his hands pressed against his temples. I wish I could say something to him, but even if I was able to, I don't know what I could say.

"So," beams Effie, "That concludes our Reapings for this year's Hunger Games. Now if our tributes could follow their Mentors into the Justice building?"

We do as she says, and I cling onto Teddy all the way. Before I enter the building, I catch one last glimpse of Dad. He's stood now, and when he sees me watching him, he presses three fingers to his lips and holds them out to me, to all of us, his face like stone.

We walk through the justice building, and I'm too disorientated to know or care where we are when Teddy finally stops.

I look up at him, my eyes filled with tears. I haven't sorted out what's going on in my head yet. I don't know what to think. My family, we're- The words won't fit together, all I end up hearing is one phrase, repeating over and over again: Fight to the Death.

"T-Teddy!" I choke, staring up at him and begging for him to do something, say something, to wake me up and for me to be still there in his house. He'll hold me while I cry, and then ask me if I want to tell him what's wrong. I'll say 'no', and he'll say 'that's ok', kiss me, and hold me until I can function on my own.

But it doesn't happen; it can't. Two peacekeepers enter and gesture for Teddy to leave and go with them, but he doesn't. In fact, the glare he gives them is enough that they back up and leave the room as quickly as possible, the door swinging shut behind them.

I think Teddy is incapable of speech, and as he struggles to form words, I look around, through my tears taking in the room we're stood in.

It's a room typical of the Justice building, high white walls, a few vases containing flowers and a white sofa, the colour scheme a mixture of white, pale pink and Lilac. I don't know why, but it makes me feel nauseous. The colours are so calming and pretty. I want to pick up those vases and throw them against the walls, watching as the lilac roses fall to the floor, ripped and dying.

Flowers. Bloody flowers. All of this happening and I'm thinking about flowers.

"Teddy it's- I don't know-"

I turn back to Teddy, not knowing what else I can do. Surely he must have some answers.

"…'Toire…" He stutters, his voice breaking as he stares down at me. "I don't know what- I mean I didn't know. I swear I didn't know!" His voice rises until it's almost a yell, his hands catching my wrists and squeezing so tightly it's painful. "They didn't tell me! I didn't know! I never- I swear-"_  
_

"I-I know," I choke, as calmly as possible, "I know. It's ok. We just need to figure out what to do."

There's a large clock in the corner, and I realise that this is my hour. The hour I get to say goodbye.

Fifteen minutes have passed and no-one's here. I guess Mum and Dad are with Dom or Louis; they'll be here soon enough.

I look back up at Teddy, and see the utter defeat on his face. It's impossible. He can't do anything. I can see him opening and closing his mouth, desperately searching for something he can say to me.

If the situation was different, the answer would be simple, for me at least.

I would go to the games, take Lucy, the youngest, protect her as best as I could, and do everything, including give my own to life, to save her.

But what about the baby?

My general plan before would be to save the youngest, but now I have a duty of care to my child. I can't let anyone hurt it. Nobody is going to hurt my baby.

"But Teddy!" I gasp, twisting my hands into the front of his shirt. "Surely they can't make us- We won't actually try to hurt each other! We can't!"

Teddy shakes his head. "I'm s-sorry Toire, but I don't think so." His hands tremble a little, "Before we went out onto the stage, we had a private message from the President." The way he bites his lip, and his hair and eyes keep shifting colours constantly tells me that he's not going to give me good news. "He told us that we could use any means the Capitol possesses to get our Tribute to comply. Do you know what that means?" He asks seriously.

"Tracker Jackers," I breathe, my eyes going wide with fear.

I only understand the use of Tracker Jacker venom in vague terms, from what I've picked up at school and from previous Hunger Games, but I know what they can do. The venom infects your mind, twists all of your memories so that you don't know who's a friend or an enemy. It can trick you into thinking that your best friend is trying to kill you (which in this case may be true), or your worst enemy saved your life. If they use Tracker Jacker venom on us, then there's no hope for my cousins. There won't be any time for trying to forge alliances. They won't see anything but white hot, angry rage as they charge forwards to rip at each other's throats.

"Teddy, they can't." I say, "Surely the mentors have at least some sense of morality! They must know how wrong this is!"

"Some of them," He shrugs, shaking his head, "Katrina, Palius, Florius... Without a doubt they won't harm your cousins at all. You saw Katrina- Lucy's mentor, the one with the lips. She's not going to do anything to Lucy, I know that."

Only reassured for a second, I look back up at him desperately, "..But what about the ones that aren't so moralistic?"

Teddy shakes his head. "Carnan from two: he has Hugo. The poor kid doesn't stand a chance."

Fresh tears of horror run down my cheeks and he closes his eyes, "I can't remember who they are, but the people who have Eisiam and Lysander are lost too."

I don't know about Lysander, but Eisiam was Louis.

I mouth his name, and Teddy squeezes me tightly. "It's ok, we'll figure something out. I'll talk to Snow myself if I have to, we'll find a way out of-"

I shake my head, "No, Teddy. You do anything and they'll only hurt you too."

He doesn't speak for a minute, and I see him glancing up at the clock. "It's nearly quarter to," He comments, "Your parents should be here any minute."

As if on cue, the door is thrown open and Dad bursts into the room, grabbing Teddy and throwing him up against the wall.

"You little shit!" He shouts, drawing his wand and aiming it straight at Teddy's throat, "I know what you've done you cowardly, pathetic, evil little shit!"

I'm so shocked that it takes me longer than it normally would to jump into action, throwing myself between them.

"Dad!" I cry, my hands balled into fists and trying to push him away from Teddy, "Dad what are you doing?"

"Victoire you get out of my way _right_ now! I have a murder to carry out!"

At least his anger hasn't gotten in the way of his sense of humour.

"No, Dad." I interrupt bluntly, raising my voice, eyes ablaze, "You tell me what you think is going on, because if you think that any of this is Teddy's fault then-"

He laughs and tries to get past me again, "No, Victoire, actually I've just been talking to Dominique. She's been giving me her opinions on who she thinks should win and _why_."

Panic fills my eyes as I realise what he knows. I can't let Teddy find out. Not now. I can't do that to him.

"Teddy." I growl without turning around, "Get out, now."

He starts to protest but I cut him off, "No Ted. Now."

He complies, touching my shoulder one last time as he backs out of the room. I notice that Mum's not here; probably still with Louis or Dom, or just too distraught to be able to cope with seeing another of her children.

"Dad," I say slowly, "Let's sit down and talk about this rationally. Please?"

He doesn't look happy, but he begrudgingly puts his wand away and follows me over to the white sofa, sitting down without complaint.

"Victoire, please tell me what you were thinking." He begs, "It's bad enough that you lie to us about where you are, but now you're…" He trails off, gesturing down to my stomach.

"I know, Dad, I know. I'm sorry." I can't bear to meet his eyes.

"Honestly, Vic, have you heard of protection?" he asks, "And why didn't you tell me or your Mother, how long have you known?"

"I have actually, for your information, and we used it." I snap back, unable to help being pissed off at him. What's he doing? "And… I've known for a month. How long it was before that I-I don't know."

"Oh Victoire," He moans, "Why? You're just a kid. What was going through your mind?"

I can't help but raise my eyebrows a little at the question, but end up shaking my head and looking up at the floor. "Dad, I appreciate the concern and everything, but right now, I think we have bigger problems than my sex life."

He frowns, "Sorry, love, I'm just… trying to be a Dad, you know?" I can see that he's tearing up, and I put an arm around him.

"Dad, it's ok." I mutter gently, "You can cry, it's alright."

A few tears spill over his cheeks, and he leans forwards to pull me into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Toire." He murmurs, "I'm just- I mean this is all of my worst nightmares. All of them."

"I know, Dad."

"And I know I act like I'm angry, but.." He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, "I want to be a Granddad, you know? But then there's Dom and Louis and- and it's tearing me apart." He wrenches his hands away from me and smacks them against his forehead. He looks like he's being tortured. "I can't choose between you three. You're everything I've got. And Fleur is just-" He throws his arms up wildly, "She's driving herself crazy, I don't know what she'll do, I'll just have to-"

The door opens and two peacekeepers march inside, "Hour's up." One of them says coldly, "Mr Weasley we're going to have to ask you to vacate the premises."

Dad rises, and I stand with him, giving him one last, long hug, before kissing him on the cheek and whispering, "It's alright, Dad. Tell Mum I love her. And tell Uncle Harry that it's alright."

He nods, and walks away out of the door, passing Teddy and this time, instead of trying to kill him, takes him by the hand and says, "Thank-you, Teddy. Now please, take care of her."

Teddy doesn't say anything, only a small twitch of his head confirming that he'll do as Dad asks.

As Dad disappears around the corner, Teddy walks over to me and pulls me into another embrace, "What-?"

"I'll explain later." I cut him off; right now I'm not interested in anything at all apart from figuring out how I'm going to do it. How I'm going to beat the arena and save my baby and my family. Because this time, the Capitol is _not _going to win.

* * *

**Hello everyone! My name's Hannah and I'll be your guide through the wonderful world of my brain. I know that people get attached to fictional characters, and everybody has a favourite next-gen kid, but (no spoilers) don't think I'm going to show any mercy- Mwahahahaha.  
As to my actual writing here: I'm not all that happy with it. It just seems a bit rushed and I don't really know. But yeah, I'm sorry and I hope it's okay.  
I'm tired though, so I think I'm going to head off to bed now. I would really appreciate a few reviews though, because I'm not sure about the plotline or the story or anything really. So yeah, go for it. Always constructive criticism. Don't be nice, I can take it.  
Um, yeah. Like I said, I'm tired so just ignore everything I'm saying right now and review.  
So yeah... Goodnight!  
From Hannah :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

My wand is taken away from me as I board the train. I know that most likely I'll never see it again. If I lose it'll be returned to my parents along with my body. If I win, then I'll snap it anyway. Who needs a wand when everyone you love is dead?

My determination dissipated somewhere along with my wand, and all I can do for the entirety of the journey is sit and stare out of the window, trying to find some comfort in Teddy's arms.

It must be a million times worse for the others. They don't have anyone; all they can do is sit there in silence, perhaps exchanging the odd word with their mentor, just waiting for the train to arrive at the capitol where, finally, we can meet up again and talk, try to figure out what to do.

After what seems like an age a door at the end of our carriage slides open, and the still beaming face of Effie Trinket strides towards us.

Teddy quickly kisses me on the temple. "Try not to punch her," He whispers quietly, "Been there, and trust me, she's not going to take it kindly."

I laugh half-heartedly, and stand up, Teddy's arms still wrapped around me tightly. I'm so glad he's here. I don't know what I'd do without him.

"Victoire!" Effie exclaims with delight, rushing forwards and pulling me away from Teddy so that she can give me a hug of her own, "You have no idea how excited I am to finally meet you; you're all Teddy's ever talked about since his first Games."

She gives him a cheeky smile and laughs in an annoying, high pitched manor.

"Now I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to get here, I've had to deal with the other competitors, but lucky for you, it looks like I'm yours for the rest of the journey."

I don't return her smile. In fact I glare at her as hard as I can.

I'm about to speak, when she interrupts, "Now this year, we have a very exciting Games planned. We're all very excited." She blinks, and the way her eyelashes –around six inches long and and a sickly shade of pink- move reminds me of spider's legs. I feel sick to my stomach. "So first of all, I have to go through the changes to this year's rules." She smiles.

"Changes to the rules!" Teddy asks angrily, "So what's happening now? Is the Capitol just going to twist these Games to suit exactly what they want to happen? Are there going to be scripts? Oh come on, Effie, you must realise how sick this is. It's one thing killing strangers, but these kids are _family_. Surely no-one can be expected to kill their own flesh and blood."

"Oh honestly Teddy dear," She flicks him on the nose, grinning, "Don't be so silly. Now where were we? Changes to the rules, yes? Now, in the arena itself the rules will be unchanged, it is in accordance with training that things are going to be a little different." She stops to beam at us both again, her wig bobbing up and down. "This year there will be no collective training." She says happily, her teeth showing, "There will be one hour long session per day, and it will be accompanied by your mentor. Also, given the shortened length of time available to train, the training period has been extended to a month."

Teddy, who had moved forwards to hold me again as soon as Effie had stepped backwards, is gripping my shoulders so tightly it hurts. I can't help but worry about how he's coping with all of this.

I hear him grit his teeth, and I know that he's biting back any number of curses he could fling at her.

"What about the presentation of the tributes to the Capitol? How are you going to keep them separate through that?" He acts like he thinks he's outsmarted her this time, but all three of us really know that he's just pulling at straws.

"Teddy you know as well as I do that I am not privy to the secrets of the Games. I'm just passing on information I've been given. Now I suggest that we all head off to bed. There's food waiting for you in there, and we have a big, big day tomorrow."

I give her one last glare before Teddy leads me away towards the bedroom I've been assigned. It's beautiful: huge and grand, with a gold carpet and ruby red drapes hanging over the windows and around the edge of the bed. I don't have time to marvel at it though. I'm too busy staring at the food on the tray in front of me.

Being with Teddy, I've experienced more grandeur than most from district twelve have, but even the food I eat with him is nothing in comparison with the delicacies before me.

The smell nearly sends me flying backwards, it's so overpowering. It smells of everything that anyone in district twelve has ever wanted and has ever been refused. The sheer amount of food on there is inequivalent to the amount five twelve families would normally be given in a week.

I almost stagger towards it, and find myself picking up a chicken leg and simply staring at it, unable to do anything but look.

I picture Hugo, Lily and poor, starving Lucy. They'll be absolutely astounded by this amount of food. They'll eat until they're sick.

But I'm not going to.

Putting the chicken leg down slowly, I try not to think about how good it must taste. I'm not going to take hospitality from the Capitol. I'm not going to take their food or fancy clothes to heart. I'm here to die, to be slaughtered, and they're not going to get their claws into me.

Turning, I see Effie stood in the doorway, her face set. I haven't spoken one word to her since she first got onto the train. Looking back at Teddy, I wrap my arms around him and kiss his chest.

"C'mon Teddy, we should just get some sleep." I mumble incoherently.

He must hear me though, because he steers me towards the bed and we lie down, him still holding me in his arms. I vaguely notice the golden pyjamas draped over the end of my bed which I've ignored in favour of my reaping dress. They're beautiful, but like the food they're just a gift from the Capitol. I'm not going to take any crap from them.

I burrow deep into Teddy's chest and close my eyes, praying for sleep to come. Sleep is what I want, but all I end up with is tears. It seems like every few minutes I awake, screaming and crying from the nightmares of seeing Hugo, Dom, Lucy, Lily, Roxy and all the others lying, dead, around the Cornucopia.

* * *

My prep team must have either boarded the train at some point in the night, or just not been allowed to see me until today. I don't really care which; I'm not going to let myself get attached to them. They're just like Effie: Mindless Capitol drones.

Of course there's a lot of girlish screaming when they first catch sight of me. They barge into my bedroom early in the morning, pushing Teddy out of the room and gazing at me with awe.

I've never really thought of myself as being pretty, but in their eyes I must look stunning, the way that they coo and sigh in envy, picking up strands of my hair and stroking it through hands with their weird, jewel encrusted nails. I guess being part Veela has its advantages.

They fuss around, rubbing on oils that seem to sizzle rather than soothe my skin. The tallest one, whose name I can't remember, tries to apply blusher to my face when another one pulls at her arm.

"No," She warns, "No make-up, no jewellery, no hair, no nothing. We're just going to go plain."

"But she could be so beautiful!" The first one almost wails.

_Could_ be beautiful? Cheers. They notice me roll my eyes and they step back.

"I'm sorry," One of them, whose name I remember to be something disgusting: Octopus? Octavius? Octavia? "We're just not used to such perfect subjects to work with. Especially from twelve."

I nearly punch her. The girl who entered last year, Syx, wasn't especially beautiful. She had a plain face and a wide nose, but she had been my friend. Especially good with a sward like tool, she had looked like the best hope Twelve had for a victory since Teddy.

Of course she didn't win though, and was left bleeding to death by the male competitor from district three.

"Oh come on," Chides the tallest one, "Please don't scowl; it hides your cheekbones."

There's a knock at the door, and the three seem to go into a panic, brushing out my hair as fast as they can and applying a small amount of foundation to my cheeks.

"Thank god we don't have leg hair to deal with," One of them mutters, panicky rubbing more of the sizzling cream onto my legs, "You must take care of yourself."

Actually I don't. "It's a side effect of my Veela genes." I half whisper, not wanting to exchange pleasantries, "I've never really thought about it before."

They step back and regard me with awe, with cries of, "Wow!" and "You're so lucky."

Before they can say anything more the door is pushed open and a tall man appears. He has dark skin and mesmerising black eyes, and it takes me a few seconds to tear myself away from them long enough to realise that he must be my stylist.

Another member of my prep team, whose name I think is Venia, runs a hairbrush through my hair one last time before pulling off my golden dressing-gown.

For a minute I'm stood there blinking in the light, naked and awkward. The man with the eyes is still walking forwards and he circles me slowly, studying me in a way that someone might study a particularly interesting piece of artwork or jewellery. I might just be being paranoid, but I swear his eyes rest on my stomach for longer than they normally would.

I wrap my arms around it, hiding it from his view.

He dismisses my prep team with a wave of his hand and they nearly trip over themselves trying to obey him.

As soon as the door is shut behind them he smiles kindly, "Good-morning Victoire, my name is Cinna. I'm sure you know what I'm here for."

I try to hold back the words, but they sort of burst out. "You're here to make me look pretty for my execution."

He laughs lightly, his brow furrowing, "Yes, I suppose that is one way of putting it."

His hands move forwards and brushes a strand of hair off my face. "Do you want to come and talk?" He asks, gesturing over to a small golden sofa in the corner of the room, opposite the bed and next to the window.

Through it I can see mountains and hillsides rushing past us; it's beautiful here.

I nod once and take back my dressing-gown, which he's holding out to me. I suppose he doesn't deserve the amount of hostility I'm giving him, but I can't help it. I'm pissed off, tired, and terrified.

He sits down and I take a seat next to him, not returning his smile.

"So," he begins casually, "How long have you known you're pregnant?"

I'm taken aback by his forwardness. I expected him to just ignore the subject and move on, but no, it's the first thing he asks about, his eyes probing my face.

I blink and stutter, not knowing what I can say. Left stranded for a few seconds, I finally gush, "Please don't tell Teddy. He can't find out. Please!"

Cinna nods slowly, looking a little confused, "Teddy is your Mentor, he's here to help you, I don't see why…" He stops and breaths in, "Of course, I remember his Games. It was you wasn't it? The little girl he volunteered for? And… the baby is his."

I look down and nod, trying to keep from crying.

"It's alright, I'm not going to tell him." He reassures, smiling gently, "He doesn't have to know."

Although I'm determined to hate everyone from the Capitol, but I have to admit that Cinna is difficult to hate. Mumbling a thank-you, I look away and try to act fascinated in the embroidery on the sofa.

I can tell he's waiting for more information, so I turn back towards him, not daring to look up and meet his eyes.

"I've known for a month," I say quietly, "But I don't know how long it was before that." Finally finding some courage, I manage to ask him something, "How did you know?"

He smiles, glad that I've started to trust him a little. "It took me three seconds to figure out that you're part Veela." he shrugs, "After that it was obvious. You're stomach's already big, and since you're Veela genes would guarantee you a perfect figure, either you had seriously gorged out on the food…" he points over at the still full tray if food left over from last night. "Look Victoire, I know that you have every right to hate both the Capitol and me, but I'm here to help you, and you're not going to help yourself by fighting me."

I nod, and open my mouth to say something, and quickly shut it again.

"First things first," He says, looking into my eyes intensely, "Do you want to win?"

Do I-? Do I want to win?

Maybe Cinna's more intelligent than I thought. He's intuitive, at least.

"I d-don't know." I brush away the tears forming in my eyes. "It's- I mean-" I drop my head into my hands, "I don't know."

I've been trying not to think about it, because I know by right, I should win. I'm pregnant, and as much as I hate myself for thinking like this, I'm worth two people. Surely if it's possible that two Weasleys, or one Weasley and one Lupin could live then I should do everything I can to take that chance.

But I love my cousins, and the idea of any of them being gone- I just can't think about it. I know that if it weren't for the baby then I would gladly give my life for any of theirs in a heartbeat.

"Cinna tell me what to do." I whisper, "I don't know what to do."

There's a moment of silence, "I'll tell you what you're going to do, Victoire," he says in a sure voice that I can't help but find comfort in. "You have a month; one whole month until the Games begin. For now, what you need to do is stop and take a step back. Talk to Teddy, decide what he wants. I think you should tell him about the baby, but that's only my opinion and you don't have to do as I say. Secondly, concentrate on getting as many sponsors as possible. Your beauty will do most of the work for you, but not all of it. You have to make an impression."

What he's saying makes sense. A month is a long time, and I don't need to sort out any kind of plan just yet.

"But Cinna," I cut in, "Even If I do want to win I might not be able to. I mean, it's the Hunger Games. I'm older than the others, but not the strongest, if they've been Tracker-Jackered or-"

"Shh," He presses a finger to his lips, "I'm not allowed to help you with technique in the actual Games. I'm only here to help you get as many sponsors as possible."

The way he glances around the room makes me think that this might not be the only reason he doesn't want to talk about it.

"Now," He says, swiftly moving on, "This year, seeing as all of the contestants are all from district twelve, we have completely free reign on your clothing. Which when I have a subject like you, is fantastic. There are various different techniques as to getting sponsors." He pauses, "One: We make you look like a goddess. You act as if you are above everybody else and they will worship you. People will literally go as far as kneeling at your feet."

Kneeling at my feet? Surely that's a bit too far.

"Secondly: You can be fierce; a warrior. And provided you get a decent score on your private training the whole of the world will already see you as the guaranteed winner before you even step into the arena."

This doesn't sound like me either, I've never been the strongest, and although I know from helping out in the kitchen that I'm good with a knife, I know that I'll be no match for James or Fred when it comes to actual fighting skills.

I shake my head, "I can't do it, Cinna, I can't do any of it. And I don't want to fight my family, it's barbaric, I _can't_!" Despite all of the promises to myself, I burst into tears, leaning into his shoulder and weeping. "What do I do?"

He puts an arm around me reassuringly, "Victoire, there are other options. Other things you can do." I can feel him looking around the room, "Do you want to know what I think you should do?" He asks, "What I think would get you the most sponsors?"

Without looking up, I nod my head.

"I think you should come clean about the pregnancy." He says bluntly, "You tell Teddy and the whole of the Capitol and the rest of your family in the interview. Spin out your and Teddy's romance. Once people have figured out that it was you that Teddy volunteered for then they're going to be fascinated. They'll want to know everything about who you are and where you come from, what you think it was that made Teddy fall in love with you when you were kids."

His head turns at the sound of loud shouts coming from outside the door.

It sounds like Effie and my prep team are all trying to stop Teddy from coming into the room. He's shouting, and it doesn't seem like he's going to lose the argument.

Just as I'm thinking this the door bursts open and Teddy is there, rushing towards me.

As I stand and fall into his arms, I can feel Cinna watching us closely. He stands up and walks past us, brushing a hand against my shoulder. "Victoire, don't worry about your clothes, I'll make sure you have something perfect. But I think you need to do what you have to do now, before you lose your nerve. Don't worry, everything will be ok."

Teddy glares at him as he leaves.

"'Toire?" He cups a hand to my face and looks me in the eyes, brushing away a stray tear with his thumb. "You're crying…"

I raise an eyebrow, trying not to let out my emotions, "Nice one Sherlock." My laugh is weak, and I know he sees right through it.

Still, he plays along, laughing with me. "Sher-what? Is that a disease or something?"

There's something about Teddy's eyes when he's this close to you that you can't quite ever put your finger on. They're almost hypnotic.

"Muggle literature, it's about-" I cut off, shaking my head. This is definitely not the time or the place to be discussing books. Wrapping my arms around him slowly, I rest my head against his chest. "We need to talk." I mumble into the soft fabric of his shirt, and for a minute I think he doesn't hear me. But, slowly, he guides me over towards the sofa where Cinna and I had sat, and wraps an arm around my shoulders as he takes a seat, pulling me onto his lap and letting me curl into his chest.

"'Toire?" He asks gently.

I open my mouth, but release nothing but a quiet croaking noise, a few more tears escaping and trickling down my cheeks. I can't do this to him. He can't watch me and his unborn child go off into the arena. It'll kill him.

Slowly, I take his hand and, carefully, looking into his eyes, place it against my stomach.

There's a silence, and then Teddy exhales, understanding washing over his face.

"'Toire…" He breathes.

I look down and shake my head.

"I'm so sorry, Teddy."

* * *

**It's been a long time and I have written nothing. I've just really really not been having such a great time at the minute, and just as I think that nothing can get any worse, they do. adfsfg I'm so sorry for the wait though, and hopefully I'll be able to update all of my other stories sometime before the end of the week?  
As for this chapter I guess it's okay? I mean, I'm writing with a hangover so that's always great to do, and I'll probably look back over it and wonder what the hell I was writing/thinking/doing.  
I feel bad for being such a slow updater ****so yeah, forgive me please?  
As always reviews are love, and constructive criticism (besides the obvious 'get your shit together and update your bloody stories') Is much appreciated 3  
Love and apologies and happiness,  
Hannah :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

He looks as if he's frozen in horror, his eyes fixated on my stomach in disbelief.

"No." He shakes his head, "It isn't true. You're lying."

I want to deny it so badly, but I can't. I know I can't. "I'm- I'm sorry." I whisper, choking back tears. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I- I-"

He pulls away from me and stands up, tears erupting from his eyes, now the blackest I've ever seen then, as he runs a hand through his swiftly greying hair. "Shit."

He starts to pace up and down, and I don't know what to do. I curl my hands around my stomach and shut my eyes to hold back my tears. "I'm sorry." I say again, more quietly, not knowing how to make this any easier for him. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry."

"Victoire you've-" He shuts his eyes for a second, and then springs into action, crossing back over to me and crouching down in front of where I sit, taking my hands and looking into my eyes, wearing a determined look. "No. None of this is your fault." He tells me in his gentlest voice, reaching one hand up and stroking my cheek gently with the back of it. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. You're going to be fine. I swear you're going to be fine."

"Going to be fine?" I tear up, trying so desperately hard not to start full on crying in front of him, but I can't help it. "Teddy it's The Hunger Games. No-one is _going to be fine_."

Leaning forwards I drop my head into my hands and sob, unable to hold it in any more. He's at my side straight away, his arms around me, holding me against him. "No, 'Toire please don't cry." He whispers softly, rocking me gently, "We'll figure something out, I'll figure something out, I promise."

I think he's crying too, but I can't open my eyes to tell, instead taking another great heaving breath and feeling my entire body shake with my sobs.

"Here, c'mon Victoire, come with me. I'll make sure things are okay." He moves his arms underneath my body and picks me up in a kind of cradle. "Here, just-"

He sets me down on my feet for a second, and I grip his arms tightly to stay upright. He's fumbling through the cabinets at the kitchen-type part of the room, although I can't see what he's doing.

"Here." Into my hands are placed a small white pill and a glass of water, and the pill is nearly at my mouth when I stop, staring at him wide eyed. What's he trying to give me? I trust Teddy with my life but what if he's decided that he wants the baby out of the picture? Or that- that it would be kinder for me to just go painlessly, with him by my side?

He shakes his head, obviously seeing my train of thought and the look of horror on my face, and kisses my forehead. "It's just a sleeping pill." He comforts, stroking my hair softly, "I swear it's not going to do anything like-"

I nod and place the pill in my mouth, trusting him whole-heartedly and taking a large gulp of the water, trying to ignore the fact that it tastes like cardboard. I hand him the glass, and he puts it down on the side, picking me up again and carrying me over to the golden bed.

The covers are over me and I'm being hit by huge waves of exhaustion when I open my eyes to look up at him, standing above me and not lying here with his arms around me as he usually would.

"T-Ted?"

"Shh." He leans down and kisses me, brushing a small amount of my hair out of my face. "I'm going to talk to Cinna, okay? We're going to figure out how to keep you safe." His eyes flicker. "Keep- Keep you both safe."

I can't help but feel a rush of love for Teddy as he says that. "Teddy…" I sigh, my lips forming a small smile as I lift up my hand to touch his face. "You'll be here when I wake up right?"

"Yes, honey, of course I'll be here." He smiles back down at me, and gives me another soft kiss, looking deep into my eyes. "I think right now you should be sleeping though. I love you, Victoire."

I shut my eyes, and his hands drop mine after a second or two. I hear him walk slowly out of the room, and close my eyes again, trying not to think. I know I'm supposed to be on sleeping pills, but sleep doesn't come straight away. I spend far too many seconds thinking, my hand resting lightly on my stomach, before I finally succumb to the blackness.

Teddy keeps to his word; when I awake he's there, arms around me and his mouth half open as he snores gently. Under normal circumstances I would laugh at him, but this is hardly normal circumstances. I move slowly, careful not to wake him up, and roll over so that I have a better view of his face. He looks so peaceful, and this time I can't suppress a smile. When Teddy is asleep, everything about him suddenly becomes so innocent. No-body would recognise him as the ruthless Hunger Games winner who so happily slaughtered seven other people.

I have to shudder slightly at the memories, and screw my eyes tightly shut, rolling out of bed and standing on the soft carpet, somewhat amazed that Teddy is still sleeping. Conscious that he could easily wake up at any minute, I quickly find my clothes and pull them on, ignoring my shoes since I like the way the carpet feels under my feet, and heading off in search of food. I'm starving, since I didn't eat yesterday, but I still walk slowly, taking in the splendour of the train.

The dining section is right at the end of the train, the last carriage. Seeing as I'm sleeping on the second to last carriage, it's not a long walk, but still, when you have to stop and admire every last item of luxury that the people back home in district 12 could never even dream of, it takes a while.

At first, I think the room is empty, but as I walk forwards a low voice issues from behind me, making me jump. "Good morning, Victoire."

It's Cinna, seated on a squashy red armchair by the side of the door. He's holding a cup of what I presume is Coffee. Teddy told me tea isn't common in the Capitol. Or at least, not as we know it, made from pine plucked from the one tree overhanging the fence and then boiled with hot water.

"H-Hey, Cinna." I stutter, feeling shaky. It's just out of habit I guess. Capitol people make me nervous, they always have. I don't know if it's the accent, or just the way that they talk, but even Cinna, the type of person you can't help but trust, makes me feel on edge.

He stands, placing his cup down on a coffee table beside his chair and walking over to me slowly, putting one hand on my shoulder. "You know I'm not going to hurt you, Victoire." He reassures in his deep voice, looking into my eyes. "I'm here to help you. Why don't you get yourself some breakfast and we can sit down to talk?"

He gestures over to a table in the middle of the room, and my eyes widen. It's absolutely laden down with food.

All kinds of fruits, some sort of sloppy oat mixture with a sticky, sickly sweet golden sauce to go with it, a harder, darker, warm bread that I declare as over-baked before Cinna explains that it's called toast; a luxury from the Capitol where you take the bread and heat it until it goes crunchy. I think it's silly. What's wrong with plain bread?

Still, that doesn't stop me from eating six slices of toast coated in a sticky mix of mashed up strawberries they call Jam.

It's delicious, and Cinna sits down at the table beside me as I eat, regarding me softly, probably judging me on my poor table manners, but I don't care. When I'm done I push my plate forwards and sit back, trying to keep everything that the food distracted me from out of my mind for just a few minutes longer.

"Victoire?" Cinna asks after a few seconds, and I turn to face him, sitting up straight and nodding once to indicate that I'm ready for the conversation.

"Alright," He begins, smiling encouragingly. "Tonight we'll be arriving in the Capitol, and you're going to go straight from the train into the presentation to your first interview. It's not like how the Games have worked before, everything's changed around to accommodate the fact that you and your family are not allowed to interact." Pausing, he waits for me to nod before continuing. "So that means that today we have to work on both your outfit, which I have discussed with Teddy and managed to prepare, and how you're going to gain sponsors through your interview."

"Okay." I say quietly, nodding again. I realise suddenly that for as great as Cinna is, I have no idea what he's like with clothes. It's his first year as well, and I can't help but worry slightly. Some of the stylists in past years have had… well, to say the least- odd tastes.

He must see my worry, and realise what the problem is. "Do you want to see your dress Victoire?"

He stands up and leads back along the train, past my bedroom and to a compartment where, I presume, he must work. The walls are lined with shelves containing every type and colour of fabric that I can imagine, and there's one small table in the centre of the room with a dress lain on it. Cinna strides towards it and lifts it up for me to see.

I almost gasp. Every worry that I had about Cinna not being a good designer dissipate instantly, and I take a step forwards, reaching out to touch the fabric and marvelling at how soft it feels under my fingers. It's like touching air. I don't know how to describe it. It's a pale yellow plain dress, around knee length, but the whole thing almost seems to glow. It gives off this warm, homely, almost motherly feel, and instantly I understand what it is that they want me to do.

"Ci-Cinna that's amazing!" I exclaim, reaching out to take it from him. "How did you do that? It's like-"

For the first time since I've met him, he almost looks abashed. "Thank-you." He mumbles, abashed, taking the dress and putting it back on the table. "It still needs a fair bit of work though, and I need to work on make-up and jewellery, and what we're going to do with your hair." His tone has changed back to its usual comforting but business-like manner. "The train will be arriving at six o'clock, so you're going to be spending the morning working on your interview with Teddy, and then from two it's going to be all about your appearance. Okay?"

"Okay." He carefully places the dress back onto the table, and I get a sense that Cinna really does take pride in his work. He nods, and I follow him back out and along the train. Suddenly I think of something.

"Cinna, why is the train so slow?" I ask suddenly, turning to him, "I mean, normally the training would have started by now, but it's like they're deliberately keeping us here for longer, I mean, why would they-"

He shakes his head and presses a finger to his lips, cutting me off. He cocks his head to the side, and looks at me for a few seconds before tilting his head upwards and glancing around the train. "Hold your tongue Victoire." He breathes, so quietly that I can only just hear it. "The walls have ears."

The walls have ears? Cinna walks off ahead of me, and I'm left stood, shivering slightly. What does he mean?

"Victoire?" He turns around, and my head snaps up to see him waiting patiently for me. "I suggest you go and wake up your mentor. It's already quite late, and you need to make sure that you're definitely ready for the interview."

He heads off along the train, and I return to my room to find Teddy still sleeping, twitching and turning on the bed, much less peacefully than when I left him, obviously having a bad dream.

"Teddy." I whisper, shaking him quietly, "Come on, Ted, time to wake up."

His eyes snap open and he jumps into a sitting position, staring around. "T-Toire?" He asks, his voice shaky and fearful, and I hear his breath hitch as he sees me. "Oh Victoire you're-"

He wraps his arms around me gently and pulls me down next to him, his face buried in my shoulder. Oh no Teddy please don't cry. He can't cry. I won't be able to deal with it, I don't know what to tell him. Shaking only slightly, I put my arms around him and bite my lip, determined not to cry as well.

His body shakes slightly as he begins to sob, and I stay quiet. If it was Dom, or Lucy, I would know exactly what to say, but with Teddy I haven't got a clue. He's always been this rock, and now he's just breaking up and I can't do anything about it because I'm the cause of his pain. He's going to have to sit by and watch as I either die or kill my family, and there's no answer to that. Nothing I can say will make things any better because if there was any way, I sure as hell would have done it by now.

I give him a few minutes and then speak. "Teddy." I say quietly, lifting him up off my shoulder to try to make him look me in the eyes, "Teddy I need to you to look at me." He does, and I carefully wipe away a few of his tears, "I know it's hard, and things are horrible, but I need you-" He tries to turn his face away but I touch his jaw to stop him. "I need you to help me, Ted. You can't freeze out on me; I need you."

Carefully, I hug him, and wait to see if he's going to talk to me, or if I need to try something else. Finally he pulls away from me and wipes his eyes with the back of his hands.

"Okay, 'Toire." He nods, his eyes hard, "Let's do this."

* * *

By two o'clock, I'm in a position where I would prefer to be slaughtered by my immediate family than be told one more time the correct way to sit to make people think that you were caring, or the right way to pronounce Foie Gras. Although why I would be talking about goose liver in my interview I have no idea.

"It gives you an air of class, Victoire." He explains for the thirtieth time, "It makes you one of them. You talk like them, walk like them, act like them, and they'll like you. They'll respect you."

"What if I don't want them to respect me?" I snap, "What if I said I would rather every last stinking person from the Capitol be hung from the neck for as long as it takes for them to never be able to come and screw up the lives of innocent people again?" I pause and shake my head, "Oh, I'm sorry:" I imitate Effie's high, sing-song voice, "Asphyxiated in a manner most unpleasant and demeaning such that it effectuates their imminent demise."

I know I shouldn't talk to Teddy like that, but I'm tired, scared, and pissed off. It's only when there's a low booming laugh and a clapping of hands from the corner that I break my eye contact with him.

"Now that," Cinna says, looking at me pointedly, "is impressive." He walks over to the small table where me and Teddy sit, and claps a hand onto my shoulder, turning to Teddy. "You've done brilliantly, although I think that announcing in your interview that you want us all dead might be going a little too far."

I almost blush. I had forgotten that Cinna was part of the Capitol, and that anyone else in his position would probably loathe me for saying that. He doesn't seem too irritated though, so I nod and look down embarrassedly.

I can almost hear Teddy roll his eyes. "She's being extremely uncooperative. Every time we get anywhere near a good speech, she just yells at me and says she doesn't like it."

I fold my arms across my chest, glaring sullenly at the table.

"Oh come on, 'Toire. I'm kidding." Teddy puts a hand on my shoulder, "Please don't be mad at me."

I shrug him off and stand, deliberately looking towards Cinna instead of him. "Do I need to go and get ready now?"

He nods, and gestures me towards the door. "Teddy?" Cinna asks, and I turn to see him looking expectantly at him.

"Oh yeah, forgot." He stands, and walks towards us, smiling at me unconcernedly despite my glare. "Am I just going where Vic goes?"

"Yes." Cinna nods politely and then turns back to me, "Since you'll be riding together in the ceremony I would prefer to prepare you together, just to be able to see the overall look."

Damn. I had completely forgotten about that. So I'm going to have to spend the evening acting like a lovey-dovey fool? I glower at the floor.

"Please don't scowl Victoire." Cinna sighs, "I know that this isn't where you would like to be right now, but we're going to have to deal with that, because it's reality. And that goes for you too Teddy."

It sounds awfully like he's trying to sort out a playground fight between two schoolkids, and I can't help but feel patronised, turning away from both of them.

"Victoire," Teddy murmurs softly, taking hold of my arm gently and turning me to face him, "I'm sorry, love. I'm trying my best. I'm just no good at this stuff." He pauses and touches my cheek, "I love you, though. Please don't be angry with me."

Choking up with tears, I put my arms around him and rest my head on his chest. "I'm sorry too. I'm just- I'm just scared. Really, really scared."

"Shh." He embraces me, and strokes a hand through my hair. "It's going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"And that's just brilliant. But it's time to move along." Cinna smiles at us, his one earing glinting in the light against his dark skin. "Teddy, your old stylist, Portia, is here again, and she'll be the one doing most of the work on you. But we do need to get going."

Cinna sets off down the train, and Teddy gives me a quick kiss, entwining his fingers with mine, before following Cinna, leading me along behind him.

* * *

"So, this is your big moment." Effie Trinket beams, gesturing with her hands and emphasizing each word, "Time to show the Capitol what you're really made of."

We're inside the Capitol now, after being hastily transported from the train in a car with blacked out windows to tumultuous applause. Now we just have to wait until all of the other tributes are ready, and we'll be presented to the Capitol.

"Now remember, your first interview comes directly after this, so any last minute practise needs to come in now."

I grit my teeth, clutching onto Teddy's hand like a life-raft.

Cinna left us a few minutes ago, satisfied with how we look, after turning on the glowing in my dress, which it turns out is powered by thousands of tiny light bulbs sewn into the stitching of the dress. Teddy wears a simple suit. Posh, but like my dress, homely, and even though I can't see us together, I get the sense that we sort of blend together, so that when he sits with his arm around me it's difficult to tell where he stops and where I begin.

"Miss Weasley, Mr Lupin." A man with designer stubble and a clipped voice speaks from behind us, cutting off Effie who's part way through delivering another speech. "We're ready for you."

We stand, and Teddy leads me through the door after the man, his grip on my hand firm.

Walking forwards, I blink twice, taking in the contents of the gigantic room and almost gasp; they're here. They're in the room with us. My family.

My first impulse if to shout out loud, try to explain to everyone how much they mean to me and offer up comforts, but no-body has even turned around. They're stood silently in their carriages, like Roman chariots except without horses, facing the front and a set of double doors through which I presume awaits the Capitol and the cheering crowds, impatient to watch a family slaughtered one by one.

It's eerily quiet, and I look up at Teddy, who shakes his head and turns away, helping me up onto the carriage and then assuming the same position as everybody else. I don't understand though, why is everybody so still?

No, wait, there's one exception to this; Lucy stands at the far other end of the line of carriages, her face hidden in the silken folds of her mentor's dress. Lucy's mentor is one that I remember, district 1, Katrina, and still wearing her trademark purple lipstick. She gently wraps her arms around Lucy, and pulls a tissue out of a cleverly concealed pocket to wipe the little girl's eyes.

Well, at least Lucy should be alright until the Games begin. Next along though rides Hugo, his eyes bulging as he stares forwards frenziedly, stood as far away from his Mentor as is physically possible. I scour across the row of familiar faces, noticing that Louis has exactly the same stare as Hugo, as does Freddie.

"Tracker Jackers." I mutter under my breath, shaking slightly. No sound escapes my mouth though. Looking up at Teddy, I begin to panic. "Teddy what's going on? Why can't I talk? Teddy please!"

Tears explode from my eyes, and I grab onto his arm as tightly as I can, being able to hear the sound of nails against the fabric, but not my voice begging for him to turn around.

Finally, he moves, putting his arms around me swiftly and cradling me against him. I can't hear what he says, but from the way his lips move, and the context of the situation, most likely it's just an empty comfort that wouldn't have been any more use even if it was out loud. Still, his arms are reassuring, and I shut my eyes, trying to get lost in his scent and praying that Cinna had the foresight to use waterproof make-up. Something about Cinna tells me that he did though.

"WELCOME!" Booms an all-too-familiar voice, making me jump and cling onto Teddy tighter. "TO THE 71ST ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES!"

I look up just in time to see the double doors swing open, and for Lucy's carriage to, rather jerkily at first, swing forwards and out of the door, one by one followed by the others.

Teddy looks down at me for a second, and then brushes away a few of my tears.

"I-It's really happening, isn't it?" I ask him, my eyes manically searching for something to give away the fact that this is just a dream. I barely notice that my voice is working fine again.

Slowly he nods, putting his hands on my shoulders and kissing my forehead. "Time to be brave, honey."

I wait for him to move from that position so that we can wave a the crowds or something, but he stays, and as our carriage starts to move he leans down and kisses me gently on the mouth, his hair changing to exactly the same yellow as my dress, although his could almost be described as gold.

"Teddy I-" I try to protest, but by the time I manage to stutter out any words, or Carriage has reached the doors, and we're plunged, abruptly, into the glare of a thousand spotlights, him still kissing me and me slowly but surely starting to kiss him back, my arms snaking up around his neck a I close my eyes, forgetting about the world.

A violent wall of sound hits us, and I can hear the screams and the cheering brought on by our arrival. Now I understand what Teddy's doing, and I lean into him a little, trying hard not to let my tears spill over.

"'Toire," Teddy says gently, not moving his lips away from mine, "I love you, and I swear- I _swear_, that I'm going to look after you."

It's difficult to hear him over the roars of the crowd and my own lips, but I do, and I have to cling onto him tightly to keep from crying, there's a lump in my throat.

"I love you, Victoire." The truth in his words hits me, and I screw my eyes tightly shut, forgetting that anyone else in the world exists.

Pulling my face away for a second, vaguely aware that I can see myself in perfect clarity on a giant TV screen, I look into his eyes. "Oh Teddy, I love you too."

We kiss again, and the loud roaring reaches a tumultuous level, but I don't care. What does this have to do with them? Smiling softly, I turn my head slightly so that I can look into the crowds, my body still turned mostly towards Teddy. After a second of two, I think I can hear him smile, putting one arm around my shoulders and placing the other softly on my stomach, which I'm pretty sure the dress was built to emphasize the size of.

"I love you too, Ted." I look back up into his eyes, "And whatever happens I will always love you, I- I promise."

He smiles slowly, "I know. I know."

And then we kiss again.

* * *

**Okay, so to be perfectly fair, most of this chapter is just ramblings on a train.  
A train which I should have probably laid out the schematics for before I started writing O.o #lazypeopleproblems  
Also, I'm really really bad with clothes. Like seriously. I mean, I just don't get fashion. My friend told my to pick yellow for her dress so I picked it.  
I hope that it's okay :/  
Apart from that, I'm going to be explaining more about why everyone is behaving like they are next chapter, during the interviews, which I'm quite excited about really. That'll be fun to write.  
I'M GOING TO MISS MY SCHOOL-BUS RIGHT NOW.  
Sorry, I'm really late. So can I just give you this right now and I swear I'll come back tonight and write a proper chapter commentary thing.  
As always, reviews really are appreciated.  
Thank-you for reading,  
Hannah :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

There's a clutter of excitement around us as our carriage moves inside the building and comes to a halt, both Teddy and I picking rose petals out of our hair. Effie is there, holding out her hand to help me down, and pulling me into a hug, and fervently shaking Teddy's hand when he moves next to me.

"Perfect!" She gasps, looking overwhelmed with emotion, "Wonderful! Incredible! That was a dangerous stunt to pull but it worked perfectly! Oh, the Capitol already loves you two so much it doesn't even make sense. What would I do without you?"

She reaches up and kisses me on the cheek, before bounding away to join my three stylists.

Teddy turns around to me and gives me a quick hug. "Try to ignore her, she's just a little excitable." His hair shifts to a vibrant shade of red as he bends down to peck my lips. "You did well you know; the crowds absolutely loved you. There'll be sponsors already queueing up already."

He bites his lip, but I can still see what he's trying to hide; hope. Teddy's hopeful. He's thinking: The star-crossed lovers are already going down a storm, so what's going to happen after the interview, once they all know about the pregnancy, and our story's been revealed? They'll go mad. They might even demand for me to be pardoned from the Games. No-one's ever been selected whist pregnant before, so there must be a rule about it. He's thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to find a way to save me.

Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to be that naïve.

"Oh Theodooooore!" the high, sing-song voice cuts through the air like a knife, and a tall, polished woman, with what looks like orange fish scales all the way up her neck struts towards us, smirking. "Marvellous show, darling." She turns to me, "Victoire, isn't it? Well, you've done fantastically, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to borrow Teddy for a while. Don't worry," she smiles, revealing teeth filed down into points, "He'll be back before you know it, and I'll make sure he's returned to you all in one piece."

There something about her smiles and polished appearance I can't help but find threatening, and Teddy holds me tightly, one hand in my hair, the other on my waist. "Really? Really?!" He half laughs, fingers digging into my side, "This year? With everything? With _Victoire_ here?"

I stay utterly still and silent, trying to make sense of what's going on. I'm not about to point out to Teddy that he's actually hurting me now.

"Of course!" The woman beams, and I wonder if she's related to Effie. Her sister, perhaps? "Why should that change anything at all?"

Teddy shakes his head, eyes jet black. "You can't do this."

The corner of her lip twitches, and she tilts her head to the side, revealing more of the scales. "You know I can." For a fraction of a second, her eyes flicker to me, the grin transformed into a cruel, almost hungry, smirk. Then she's back on form, her right hand reaching out to chuck Teddy under the chin like you might a baby, or a particularly cute child. "You have five minutes to prepare her for the interview, after that you know where to go."

Teddy doesn't say another word until she's vanished out of sight, and I can feel him breathing hard.

"Okay." In a blur of motion, he kisses the top of my head and then crouches down in front of me so that he can look me in the eyes. "'Toire, in a few minutes, I'm going to have to go. I know, I know, but I can't help it. As a champion I have all kinds of duties that I can't get out of. I know it's horrible, but I can't help it. Cinna's going to stay with you until the interview starts, and you're going to be fine. I promise. You know what you have to do."

I nod, but I can feel my eyes welling up with tears. I don't think I can do this without Ted; it's going to bad enough anyway, and I need him here with me. He knows that too.

"Please, Vic, I promise that if there was any other way then I would take it. You know that. You're going to have to be brave, and I'll be back with you by the time you wake up tomorrow morning." He stands up again and wraps his arms around me, kissing the inside of my neck. He either hasn't noticed, or is ignoring the fact that I'm near hysterical.

He pulls away and looks at me, trying to gage how well I'm going to cope without him. Evidently the prospects don't look good. "Victoire look at me."

I shake my head, pressing my lips together as I look stare at the ground.

"Victoire."

I still don't look up, a few tears splashing down over my cheeks.

"Vic. Love, please."

Unable to control myself any longer, I gaze upwards, yet more tears spilling over. "Teddy I can't- I just can't."

He nods his head, pressing a hand to the side of my face. "I need you to be brave for me, 'Toire. I need you to be really, really brave. I need you to go stand up there, and tell Caesar Flickerman exactly why those people should sponsor you, because I need you to. For me. You can't just give up. I love you, and everything is going to be okay."

I don't bother pointing out that nothing, ever again, is going to be anything like okay, because that's not what he needs me to do for him.

Swallowing, and wiping my eyes, I nod, praying that I look stronger than I feel. "Okay."

He nods, and turns around to glance after the scaly necked lady. It looks like she's returning, and she doesn't seem impressed. With a desperate look that I'm evidently not meant to see, he gives me one more lingering kiss, whispers something that I don't manage to hear, and then darts off, leaving me stranded, gazing around for some kind of signal as to where I'm meant to go. It comes in the form of a blanket around my shoulders and Cinna's voice in my ear.

"This way, Victoire." His deep, gentle voice is comforting to say the least, and he guides me towards a door and through it, along a network of corridors, all identical, and eventually into a room with a sofa, a mini-fridge, and a large Telescreen across one whole wall. There's a tall stool directly in front of the Telescreen, and Cinna directs me into it. The TV is on, and showing an animated Caesar Flickerman talking quickly, giving a vague summary of what's happened so far, and information on each of the contestants. I almost choke at that thought. 'The contestants'?! No. No. Not 'The Contestants', not 'The Champions', not even 'The Tributes'. The people who's faces are being flashed across the screen are my family, and nothing the Capitol can ever do or say is ever going to change that.

As Louis' face flashes up, eyes bulging a little, I turn my head away. "Can't you turn it off?" I snap at Cinna.

He raises his hands palm up, apologetic. "I'm sorry, not allowed. You're supposed to watch."

If there had been something around with which to smash the Television, I would have used it without a thought. Perhaps even afterwards battering in Cinna's head. He seems to understand my train of thought.

"The glass is bulletproof, and the chair is bolted to the floor." He sounds almost pitying.

Sliding off the stool and falling to the ground, I wrap my arms around my legs and scream at the top of my lungs, screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming until I don't have any more breath, then taking a gulp of air and screaming some more. When I'm done, and have finally lifted my head up, the interviews have started. Cinna, taking my arm and helping me to my feet, informs me that I've missed Lucy, Hugo, Lily and Louis. As I watch, Roxanne starts to walk on stage. I barely even take note as Cinna sits me down in the stool again and begins fiddling with my hair and applying make-up to my cheeks.

"So, Roxanne," Caesar introduces her with a coy smile, and she smirks at the camera, winking.

Roxy's never been anything but beautiful, and her stylists have done a magnificent job. Her large dark eyes practically glow, and she gives off an air of sinister intelligence, making her seem dangerous, almost frightening, her slim figure accented by a tight black leather catsuit. You would never have guessed her to be fourteen.

"May I begin by telling you just how stunning you look tonight?" His eyes flicker towards to crowd, to see if any of them are as impressed by her as he is.

She lets out a high laugh, biting her bottom lip and smirking just a little, her voice dripping with seduction. "You may, Caesar, but I think it would do well for me to remind you that _I _am fourteen, and _you_ are married."

I can just about feel every man in the Capitol drooling. This is disgusting, they've turned her into a sex object.

Caesar laughs loudly, blushing bright red and applauding along with the audience. "So we know you've got the charm and the wit, but how will that fare in the arena? Do you have any hidden talents to show for?"

She begins to answer, her voice in that same so un-Roxy like tone, that I think I'm going to throw up. "Can you at least mute it?" I ask Cinna, who seems almost as horrified as I am.

He nods, grabbing hold of a remote and pressing mute. His finger has barely touched the button when bold subtitles appear along the bottom of the screen. I shut my eyes.

"What's happened to her?" I whisper, my voice catching in my throat. Screaming for half an hour before you're going to have to go on TV and talk in front of the whole of the Capitol may not have been the smartest thing to do.

Cinna doesn't answer, and there's a few seconds of silence. My eyes are open now, but I've turned my head to the side, only able to see the screen as a colourful blur of motion in my peripheral vision.

"Does Albus always stutter like that?" he asks, and I fight the instinct to turn around to the screen.

I nod. "Yeah, when he's talking to people he doesn't know well. There's only three people I know of outside of our family he can even get through a sentence with."

Guilt fills me for a second; I never gave him a second thought before now, but Albus must be terrified. He has no self confidence, and what with Freddie and Louis and Hugo, he doesn't stand a chance. By his expression when I glance up at the screen, he knows it too. The best he can hope for is a quick death right at the beginning, at the Cornucopia.

I turn my face away again.

Cinna doesn't speak again, and stays where he is, quietly braiding my hair. I don't give a stuff what I look like at this point, but I know I'll regret it later if I do something stupid now.

With one more hair clip and a deft flick of his fingers, Cinna's done. He walks around me to admire me from all angles.

Chuckling, he shrugs. "Well, all else fails, you look like you just fell from the heavens."

I can't help but smile a little at that.

Molly, Rose, Freddie, and Dom have all had their turns, all of them horrifying me just as deeply as Roxy's did. Now James is speaking. I know who's coming next.

Sure enough, the door opens, and a portly bespectacled man waddles in, nodding at Cinna and holding the door open.

"This is it, Victoire." He smiles encouragingly as he guides me through the doorway and along more identical hallways. "Are you ready?"

We stop in front of a glittery door. The sound of whooping and cheering comes from the other side.

I bite the inside of my cheek.

"Nope."

In the next instant, the door opens and I'm pushed through, blinking, into the lights of the stage.

"VICTOIRE WEASLEY!"

The booming, and terrifyingly familiar voice makes me jump, and I try to take a step forwards, tripping over my ridiculously high heels and going flying. Luckily, a pair of strong hands catches my arm, and I'm hauled to my feet, catching a glimpse of Cinna frantically gesturing at me to act natural, and carry on.

I do, biting my lip and laughing along with the crowd.

"I think you might be looking for the other Victoire Weasley." I say meekly, "You know, the one that didn't just fall flat on her face in front of the whole of Panem."

The booming laugh sounds again, and the audience bursts into peals of laughter as Caesar guides me over towards a pair of chairs, holding onto my arm rather more tightly than would be deemed normal.

I graciously sit down, smiling at Caesar, but at the same time filled with an incessant loathing of the whole process.

"No, no." He half-whispers, almost wistfully, "It's you I'm looking for. How could anybody forget that face?"

He gestures towards me, inducing an eruption of applause from the audience. I try my best not to scowl.

"Why, when you came out on that carriage, I thought you must be an angel. How could this kind of beauty be real?" The audience claps, oohing and ahhing. "And then of course," Caesar continues, "there was Teddy." He leans forwards and lowers his voice, as if implying that the next conversation, to be broadcast live on television and watched by the whole country, is actually something private, just between us two. "Now tell me, Victoire, how did you two meet? It's obvious _why_ he fell for you, but what happened?"

He smiles a coy smile, and I realise that this is just for the benefit of the rest of the Capitol. He already knows everything.

"Well," I begin, sitting back in my seat and smiling shyly at the audience, although Cinna's is the only face that doesn't seem to be a blur, "He's always been a sort of friend of the family, but I only really met Teddy when-" My voice catches in my throat. "When he volunteered for me in the Hunger Games."

The audience goes absolutely still, and I can see people, including Caesar, slowly thinking back to when they were first introduced to him, six years ago. Exactly six years ago.

"No." Caesar really is whispering this time, and he reaches forwards to take my hand. "It was you! The little girl Teddy volunteered for was you!"

There's a gasp from the audience, and Caesar jumps to his feet. "Can we get a video of that? Have we got anything-? Yes."

Obviously all planned out, the large Television taking up most of the back of the stage lights up, and the blinding stage lights, thankfully, dim a little.

It's the square back in district twelve, and there are lines of kids, some shaking, some crying, watching in horror as Effie reaches into a bowl and swills her hand around, pulling out a slip of paper near to the bottom and pulling it up, lifting it and straightening it out.

"Victoire Weasley."

My name is called, and instantly the camera zooms down towards my pale, utterly terrified face. I stagger forwards, a few tears spilling down my cheeks, trying ferociously hard to keep my composure. I'm just about to crack when there's a cry out from far across the square.

"N-NO. I'll do it! I volunteer! Make me, leave her alone!"

Teddy pushes himself forwards, shoving aside older kids who stare at him and back away as if he's infected with some kind of horrible disease. Already growing lean and muscular at fourteen, he looks formidable, his eyes and hair both jet black, and quickly shifting to a blood red.

He reaches the foot of the stage and hauls himself up, not once glancing back over at me, keeping his face set and staring directly at the younger, but no less irritating, Effie.

He stands where he is for several very, very long seconds, eventually dropping his head down to the ground, twisting his hands, suddenly nervous.

"I volunteer." He murmurs towards the ground, voice barely a whisper. "I volunteer."

The tape skips forwards, and he's there, sat on the same sofa as I now occupy, fidgeting nervously. A much younger Caesar, with bright orange hair slicked back, asks him who I am, and why he volunteered.

He smiles, his hair growing out a little and changing to the same pale blonde as my locks. "Her name is Victoire Weasley." He utters gently, holding my name on his tongue, "And I've been in love with her since I was eight years old. I tried to give her a flower and she punched me in the face. I've been spellbound ever since."

The audience, both on the screen, and in front of me now, laugh, and Caesar reaches across to wipe away a tear that I hadn't even realised was there. He leaves his hand resting gently on my shoulder, and offers me a tissue.

I shake my head, glancing upwards at the audience.

"You love him, don't you?" He asks, gently, and I nod my head, leaning against his arm.

"Well," Soft tone gone, he resumes his booming stage voice, once again Caesar Flickerman, the condemner of children to death, "Perhaps if you fight hard enough, you'll be able to spend the-"

"But it's not that simple." I cut in, realising that he's trying to end the interview, but having noticed Cinna frantically waving at me. I move my hand down the my stomach, and look him in the eyes, letting the silence drag on for just enough seconds. "I'm pregnant."

This time, Caesar's shock is genuine. He stands up slowly, taking hold of my arm so he can lift me up too.

Near the back of the audience, there's a howl.

Numerous people are crying, and Caesar himself just stands there, his face a mask of shock which he instantaneously hides, jumping to his feet and hauling me rather roughly with him.

"Ladies and Gentleman of the Capitol," He murmurs, left arm around my shoulders, his nails digging into me so hard it actually hurts. "Our tribute for district 12, Victoire Weasley."

There's no applause like there usually is when a tribute leaves the stage, instead I exit the stage to the sound of harsh sobs and angry yells, Caesar accompanying me until I'm back in the first grey corridor and flanked by two guards, most likely there to wait with me until Cinna arrives again.

This isn't protocol; I don't know why Caesar has followed after me. Surely he's supposed to be back up on stage, still hyping up the audience for the 'show'. I can see a small pink chip in his ear, probably some means of communication between him and the game-makers, telling him what to do, and even from here I can the cacophony of yells are audible.

Still, he doesn't even flinch. He just stays where he is, staring searchingly into my eyes, his expression almost pleading. He's holding my hands, and gently he gives them a squeeze, before jerking away and almost dancing back onto the stage, voice booming out the usual crap about excitement and suspense, back in the role of Game Show host.

I'm left utterly bemused. What was all that about? I had always presumed Caesar to be completely unfeeling, just a mindless drone of the Capitol, but that was... No way was that normal behaviour for him.

I'm not even paying attention when Cinna jogs up, looking positive, but not happy. "Perfect, Victoire." He commends, smiling that usual reassuring smile, though it doesn't reach his eyes. "Nobody's going to talk about anything else for weeks, there'll be riots in the streets because of you and Teddy. Perfect." He sighs a little, bringing his hand down onto my shoulder, "Well done."

I nod, keeping my head down as he begins to lead me off through the corridors, still flanked by the unspeaking guards.

We stop at an ornately decorated elevator, and Cinna nudges me forwards, reaching in to press the button numbered '13', and then nodding at me, smiling lightly and stepping backwards. The doors slide closed, and I'm alone.

This lift is a wholly different experience from the one time I rid in the justice building elevator, back in district twelve. That one creaked and groaned as it moved, and you could feel every single jolt. With this, it's almost as if I'm flying. My stomach gives a leap as it sets off, smoothly moving from zero to thirty miles an hour in a second. When it stops, there's only the most minuscule of gaps before the doors open.

There's a gasp from inside, and at once I'm surrounded by Effie's fussing form, cooing and complimenting. I swear she just called me 'delectable'. I turn my face away and stalk past her towards the other side of the room, not even pretending to be remotely interested in whatever crap she's spewing now. I walk a little further, and then spin around to face her.

"Where's Teddy?" I demand, cutting her off mid-flow, my expression not one to argue with. I'm at least a foot taller than her, and I'm guessing that she knows how close I am to throttling her already. She won't want to push me.

Effie sighs, taking a step towards me and adjusting her hat, smiling her signature prissy little smile. "I'm afraid that Theodore is indisposed." She shrugs, "But I am here as guidance and-"

"That's bullshit." My fists are clenched, and I take a step closer to her, unable to give a shit about her reaction to my swearing. Honestly I don't care. "He said he had 'Champions duties'. You think I believe that for a single second?"

I'm tearing up, shaking with rage and fear. I need Teddy, and I need him here now. He's a physical necessity, but not in any kind of sexual way. I just... need him.

"What have you done to him?" My voice has gone hard, and I can see Effie beginning to back off towards the elevator. "Where is he?! Why won't you let me see him, what have you-?!" I sprint towards her, a snarl on my lips, and she spins, surprisingly fast in her heels, running away, although trotting would probably be a more accurate description of what this looks like. She holds her arms out to the side of her and does what Ginny would have referred to as 'running with a handbag'. She looks pathetic, and I can't decide whether to laugh at her, or chase her down and rip her prissy little throat out.

No.

A hand flies up to my mouth, utterly horrified at myself for thinking like that. Wasn't that exactly what the Capitol wanted me to become? Someone brutal and torturous? A killer? I clutch my arms around myself and turn, running through the building with no idea of where I could possibly go. The apartment by itself is larger than any other building I've ever been in, but right now it feels completely encompassing, walls pressing in around me. I'm going to throw up. There are ornate doors all around, and I grab the handle of one, twisting it viciously and throwing it open. There's a bedroom the size of the whole ground floor of Teddy's house. I stumble forwards, arms outstretched towards the caressing blankets. Finding the quilt underneath my fingers, I shut my eyes and feel my legs give way, forgetting Teddy, forgetting Dom, forgetting Louis and Lily and Roxy and Lily and James and Hugo and Rose and-

And with that, I'm unconscious.

* * *

** Hello! Check it out, I'm not dead!**

**I know how crap I've been lately though, what with everything that's happening in al life for me. I've had my netbook taken off me by my psycho parents, so that's all of the stuff on my stories that I have saved, my notes on characters and chapter plans and everything, so I'm pretty much stuck until I've got that story to write this chapter. I've managed to steal my Mum's iPad, and what with the wrist splint I have on for my suspected broken wrist (I had to have a bone scan and right now I'm officially radioactive. It's great), writing is slow going. I don't know if anybody follows more than one of my stories, but if anybody does, I thought that I should let you know that Beloved, one of my other stories, is going to be taken down and completely written, except this time I'll plan out the ending and figure out an actual personality for each character. So yeah, things are going to be majorly overhauled there, and I know I say this every update, but I'm going to get my act together and write. Things will speed up I swear it.**

**So yeah, that's my life and stuff. As to this chapter, I would have loved to have written out all of the interviews for each cousin, and at some point I'll go back to do that, but right now, I can't type without serious pain, and I'm being screamed at to hand back the iPad and oh hell life sucks.**

**Right, moving onto business, reviews are always appreciated! I absolutely love getting feedback, and it's so great to know that people have actually taken the time to write something back to me. A million kisses to anyone who story favourites or etc too.**

**I think that that's me for now, and I will hopefully be back later with more updates and drama and my netbook back. If anyone wants to know in more detail what's happening with Beloved, I'm more than happy to explain in more detail if you message me privately here, or on my tumblr (there's a link on my profile). Okay, so thank-you so much for reading, and I'll see you all whenever.**

**Lots of love,**

**Hannah :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I can feel Teddy's breath on the back of my neck as I wake.

"Fuck!" My curse comes out as a choked sob, and I wrench myself up out of his arms, sitting up and spinning around to glare at him. "Fuck you, what the actual fuck, Ted?!"

I can't help it, my tears come streaming. Jesus, why am I crying so hard? Teddy rises himself up out of sleep quickly and easily, straight away moving into a sitting position and placing his hands gently on my shoulders. "Vic honey I'm so sorry. I swear, I'm so so so sorry. I didn't want to go, I had to. It was just one of those things, I can't help it."

I notice he says 'can't', not 'couldn't'. This is going to happen again. Oh god, oh god.

"You said you were going to look after me!" I sob, raising my fists and pounding them against his chest. "You left me and I didn't- I- I couldn't-"

In his defence, he doesn't try to defend himself, and through my angry tears I can see his expression is utterly defeated. He looks like crap. Slowly removing his hands from my shoulders, he drops them into his lap, fidgeting.

"I can't- I was so- And you just-" The fight gone from me, I lean forwards and wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my face into his chest. "I can't do it! I can't breathe, I can't eat, I can't sleep, I feel sick all the time and I can't close my eyes without seeing everyone's faces and then thinking about- I mean- What am I supposed to do? What do they want from me. And the- the _baby_."

On the last words, my voice breaks, and I'm left sobbing violently against him, his arms carefully curling upwards around me.

"Fuck, 'Toire." He whispers, rubbing his hands up and down my back. "Fuck. What do you want me to say?"

I shake my head, burrowing into his chest.

His lips press against the top of my head, and I can feel him sigh. "Look at me." He murmurs, touching my face gently, "Please? Victoire look at me."

Blinking back tears, I do as he asks, lifting my head, but keeping my eyes fixed determinedly on the bedsheets.

"Victoire, look at me."

"No." More tears erupt from my eyes.

"Victoire."

"No."

"Victoire."

"Please."

"Vic..."

I snap my eyes upwards.

He sighs, and detangles his arms from around me. "I'm really sorry about this, but-" With that he raises his right hand and slaps me hard across the face.

I jerk away, crying out and clutching at my cheek, jumping to my feet and away from him. "What the FUCK, Teddy?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK." I'm done crying now, and a deep, hysterical rage surges through me. "What the hell are you-"

Before I can finish the sentence, he's on his feet too, sending another harsh slap flying towards my cheek, colliding and causing me to gasp in pain, stopping dead. He grabs hold of my wrists and pulls me roughly towards him. "Victoire you're hysterical. You need to calm down, and you need to stop yourself from getting so worked up. It sucks, I know, but I can't be your babysitter. I can't look after you 100% of the time, however much I want to. I am really, really sorry, Vic, but you need to keep it together. For both of our sakes."

From the expression on his face, I can tell that he's been stretched close to breaking point. There are deep bags under his eyes, and a vein in his forehead throbs viciously. it's like everything that made up my old, familiar Teddy has been worn away, to be replaced by the thin interior. The only time I've ever seen that same look in his eyes, is the moment that he stepped up onto the stage to declare himself to the Capitol as my replacement in the Games.

Although my tears have stopped dead, my bottom lip begins to tremble. "'M sorry, Teddy." I whisper hoarsely, forcing myself to maintain eye contact. "Didn't mean to-"

"No, shh." Exhaling deeply, he pulls me in for a bone-crushing hug. "Don't you dare apologise. Nothing that is happening here is your fault, and there's nothing you can do about it, but you just need to keep calm. You're my Vic, and you can do anything, but I need you to make sure you don't let yourself become hysterical again. For me."

Nodding gently and squeezing my eyes shut, I hug him back. "I promise." I manage to murmur, my voice only wobbling slightly. "I swear."

* * *

"Now, I think people underestimate just how much of the games is psychological." Teddy's voice rings out clear in the enormous, gymnasium-like room, echoing off the walls and coming back to the two of us warped and distorted. "While physical strength is important, having the right attitude can and will change everything. It can tip the whole games in your favour, or-" He pauses, swallowing, "Or..." Letting silence speak the words for him, he runs a hand through his hair, which swiftly shifts to a deep purple to match his eyes. "The career tributes that usually do well aren't the physically strongest ones, or the ones that know how to use knives and bow-and-arrows. The ones that do well are the one's that aren't cocky. If you have a tribute who's so certain of his own success that he thinks it's going to be a cake-walk, he won't last five minutes. No, the ones that do well, the ones that _win_, are the tributes that have something to fight for. Take Katrina for example; she's definitely not the strongest, or the fastest. In fact, she's an unhealthy blob. She'll come to the Capitol for the Games and eat chocolate by the fistful." I can tell by his smile that he's fond of her, and an odd pang of jealously runs through me. "Katrina won because she wanted to live."

I'm confused. "But she volunteered. Why would someone volunteer if-?"

"She had an older brother in the Games, my year. Her parents were so ashamed they spent every last bit of their energy training her up. Parents can be very persuasive when they want to be. Katrina volunteered because she was under threat, she won, because she had someone back home that she wanted to get back to." His eyes shine, and I can tell that he's thinking about us. Then, just for a second, there's a flicker of fear behind them. He hides it effortlessly.

"The point is, in order to win, Vic, you have to want to." He bites his lip, "Now I know we haven't talked about anything, but I just wanted to-"

"No." My tone is steely as I break in, glaring, "We're training now. Not thinking, not talking, not planning, just training. Please?"

He nods. "Sorry. I'll just-" Shaking his head, he takes a breath, and then turns around to lead me over to the Right, so moving on, we're going to start off with basic survival stuff. How to find food, make fires, build shelters. The kind of things that other people overlook because they think weapons are more important. Most tributes die from either cold or starvation." As we reach the station, he pulls a small book out of the back pocket of his jeans, holding it out to me. "My Capitol mentor gave this to me before my Games, and it legitimately saved my life several times."

I take it from him, looking down at the title and stifling a laugh.

The title reads in large black font, positioned on top of what looks like a warning sign. _How to shit in the woods_, by Kathleen Meyer.

"What's so funny?" He demands, hands on hips, "You think this is a joke?"

I firmly press my lips together, staring down at the floor and shaking my head.

He plucks the book from between my fingers and shoves it back into his pocket. "It might seem funny now, but trust me, you'll thank me for this one later." Kissing my forehead gently, I see him roll his eyes. "So where do we start, fires or food?"

I pick fires, and he brings me over to crouch down underneath a tall, fake tree. There are whole areas of the room set out as different environments. African Savannah's, forests, deserts, tundra. Over in the corner on the opposite side of the room, past a stack of heavy weights, there's a dark, shadowy area, dark, rocky walls and floor lined with Lichen and smile, water dripping down stalagmites. I shudder.

Turning back to Teddy, I can see that he's been waiting patiently for me, gentle concern in his eyes.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

His eyes on me, Teddy reaches down to the ground, and pulls up some old, dry, dead grass. "Okay, so there are a few different ways you can start fires. The first, and easiest, is with a flint." As he talks, he packs all of the dead grass into a tight ball, stuffing it into the centre of a tiny circle of stones, and then reaching over and picking up a small metal tool. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought it was a set of keys. There's a long thin black metal stick, attached by a string to the smaller, silvery, metallic plate. He holds them out flat for me to look at. You make a spark by running the silver plate across the black stick, like this. In a deft flick, he creates a bright, golden spark, making me jump backwards. He demonstrates again, and then passes it over to me. "Just have a go. There's a knack to it."

I nod, and inelegantly slide the metal plate along the stick, far too slowly for it to do anything at all.

"That's good, you just need to go faster. It's works through heat created by friction, so-"

"Yeah." I butt in, "I get it."

This time, having gotten used to the feel of the tool in my hands, I copy Teddy's flicking technique. Still nothing.

Teddy's leaning in close to me, his brow furrowed, "Just keep trying. It needs a little more force but-"

I clear my throat, staring at him sceptically. "Unless you're wanting me to set fire to your nose, I suggest you give me a bit of space."

He laughs, sitting up straight and raising his hands, sounding wary, "'Course. Sorry."

Biting my tongue, I concentrate hard on the tiny metal implement, flicking them against each other with a rather satisfying 'tchhh' noise, and producing a bright spark.

"Hey!" I yell, grinning, "Look, I did it!"

Ted laughs, placing his hand onto the small of my back, "I told you you could. Now, do the same thing, but onto the grass. It should catch light."

I can tell he's impatient. This stuff is supposed to be easy, and he'd rather get onto more technical and useful stuff.

On my first try, the grass catches light, and I glance hopefully at Teddy, who's staring stony-faced into the fire. In an instant, he snaps back to mentor mode, an encouraging smile fixed in place. "Perfect, Vic. Now the thing with the flint is, as east as it is to light fires with, and as useful as it is, it's not something you're going to find lying around on the floor. You can't make one. You're going to have to get one from the Cornucopia or, all else fails, I can send you one. I'd rather send you one of these than matches simply because you'll run out of matches. One of these won't wear out in the time you'll be using it for."

I nod, it makes sense.

"You can make fires without a flint though. Here." He hands me two small rocks. "It's the same basic technique. You just need to practise and see if you can find the right angle."

Frowning, I flick the stones against each other, hoping for, but not expecting, a spark. I try again. And again. And again. And again.

"Oh this is hopeless." I moan, leaning forwards into his shoulder and throwing the rocks down in despair. "There's no point. I can't do any of this shit, it's all-"

"'Toire. Remember what we talked about this morning."

Oh fuck. I grit my teeth, pressing my eyes shut for a few seconds. What am I doing? What am I doing? When did I turn into this... this pathetic mess? I used to be the strong one. I played Quidditch, I argued, I fought with Dom and Louis. I needed help from no-one. This is so not me. For fuck's sake what am I doing?

Eyes snapping open, I set my jaw. "Okay. Give me one more try."

From here, our training starts to get moving. I easily master basic shelter building, and then we move onto foodstuffs. To me, deadly Omphalotus Fungi is identical to Chantrelles, which we regularly eat back home, despite Teddy's insistence that the colours are completely different.

"Okay." He begins again, reaching behind his back and pulling out the two yellowy masses. "Which one do you eat?"

Rubbing my hands together, I lean forwards, narrowing my eyes. So Chantrelle's are the brighter yellow ones, right? Right? No? It would make sense for the bright one to be poisonous, wouldn't it? Or maybe it was the other way around? Oh fuck. Picking one of the fungus's at random, I wince, waiting for Teddy's response.

"And you're dead." He announces despairingly, "Again."

I sigh. "Bright yellow_ is_ the edible one then? Damn, I knew that."

He drops the mushrooms back onto the ground and stands up, wiping his hands on his trousers. "Don't worry about it. The only way you're going to learn that kind of thing is through practise. It'll take time and effort, but you'll get there. We have a month."

I nod my head, jumping to my feet to join him.

"So." He checks his watch. "We have half an hour. What do you think about basic combat skills?"

Despite my promises to stay calm and collected, I shiver, murmuring, "Sure." So I can't back out of it.

Heading over into the middle of the room, he turns around to face me, his expression unreadable.

I expect him to ask me if I'm okay with it, but he begins straight away, ploughing into details of technique. "Go for the neck first." He says gently, gesturing in a chopping motion towards his throat. "Always protect your body, be quick. if it's a guy, go for the balls, and any weapon is better than no weapon." He stops, checking my expression, before taking a step closer to me and smiling reassuringly. "Try to do something unexpected, or use distractors to make the enemy confused and slower. Chuck leaves in their face? Sand? Anything that will take their concentration away from you. Footwork is everything; once you're on the ground it's over. The enemy knows that too so not being floored is a priority."

_The enemy._

"And remember," I mutter under my breath, "Do _not talk_ about fight club."

"Oh, one more thing." He smiles exasperatedly, "Humour does not work as a defence mechanism in a fight. So I suggest paying attention to what I say in future."

It hurts, but he's only telling me what I need to hear. I can tell his patience is wearing thin, and I don't resent him for not taking my crap. Apologising quickly, I lunge forwards, fist raised.

The blow would have been pathetic anyway, but in an instant his hand closes around my fist. Shit, how does he move so fast?

In a flash, his foot darts forwards and knocks out my legs from behind, sending me toppling backwards. I cry out, expecting to hit hard floor, but suddenly his arms are underneath my back, catching me in a cradle and staring at me intently.

Silence holds for a few seconds, before he kisses my forehead, and sets me effortlessly back onto my feet.

He smirks. "Nice try."

"Yeah, well-" I begin to retaliate, but Teddy points behind me, cutting me off and stepping in front of me, shielding me with his body.

"Crane." He utters distastefully, frowning, and gripping hold of my wrist tightly. "We're training. You're not supposed to be in here."

Peering out from behind his back, I spy a lanky, thin man, with dark hair and an elegantly trimmed beard. Seneca Crane, head game-maker.

He smiles, tilting his head to the side. It strikes me how much he looks like a Weasel. "With respect, Theodore, I can do what I want." He leaves a long pause, in which Teddy takes a step closer to me, squeezing my wrist in a movement he probably thinks is reassuring, but in reality, just hurts. "I was wondering if it would be possible to have a word with the illusive Victoire."

He steps sideways, so that he can get a better view of me, and smiles pleasantly. "Here she is. And even more beautiful in real life, if I may say so myself."

I glare him down, wrenching my wrist away from Teddy and stepping forwards, holding my head high.

"What do you want? I'm meant to be training." I hate the superior tone my voice takes on, but apparently it's working. He takes a step backwards and frowns.

His arrogant expression is gone, audacious exterior stared down. "I simply want to talk to you. There are various... things which need discussing."

I can tell by the way he glances at Teddy that this is supposed to be private. I don't give a shit though. Anything he wants to say to me, he can say in front of Teddy. I fold my arms, not moving an inch.

He looks nervously between the two of us. "Ah." He glances up at Teddy, and then smirks widely. "Mr Lupin, you know I recall seeing Lestrange looking for you."

Even from a foot away from him, I can feel Teddy tense up.

"You're lying. I'm not wanted until tonight."

Seneca shrugs. "It's already six o'clock."

"What?!" Ted glances at his watch, and curses loudly. "Oh _balls_. 'Toire..."

His look is so pleading, so desperate, that despite the tears welling up in my eyes I shake my head, smiling reassuringly. "Go, love." I murmur, "I'll be fine."

He doesn't look reassured, but then what was I expecting? Setting off at a jog towards the exit, he glares at Seneca ferociously. "You harm her in any way, and I will hunt you down, and I will kill you." He doesn't look like he's joking.

Tapping his watch, Seneca smiles lightly, watching as Teddy jogs off towards the double doors, only pausing to look back for a second as the guards unlock the doors for him.

I don't dare to move a muscle in the silence that follows Ted's departure. I can feel Seneca looking me up and down, scrutinising me, weighing me up. Still, I keep my lips pressed together, staring coldly down at the floor until he holds out an arm to me, smiling that ever-so-pleasant smile of his. "Would you care to join me for a walk, Victoire?" He asks cordially.

I incline my head, sensing that saying no would not be the wisest thing to do, and we follow through the same door Teddy used to exit. I glance around, but by now he's long gone.

Seneca leads me through winding corridors in silence, not once looking up at me or speaking a word. A few strangers stare at us as we pass, but mostly we're left undisturbed. There's a short elevator ride, and we step out into a blindingly light room. There's a wall-to-wall window on the opposite side of the room to the elevator, and as my eyes adjust to the sunlight, I see the towering buildings of the Capitol, peaked and pointed into the most bizarre shapes. They call it Modernist architecture. I call it weird.

Unlinking our arms and stepping out into the room, he dances gracefully across it and to the window, staring out of it pensively.

I don't know what he wants from me. Am I supposed to go and join him? Or maybe this is meant to be my chance to escape from the building, to just get into the lift and ride down to the bottom floor and get out of this place. Somehow, I don't think that's likely.

As I wander slowly towards him, I glance around at the room. It's completely empty. Not even a single table or chair in sight, just plain white walls and a polished, wooden floor. My shoes make a resounding clack every time they touch the ground.

I reach him in a few seconds, my breath hitching as I gaze out of the window, fighting vertigo.

"Ever since your pregnancy was announced, the public outcry to have you pardoned from the Games has been tumultuous."He begins, enunciating every word, "Even our own Caesar Flickerman has joined the cause. You're all he's talked about."

I frown. Whatever I was expecting, this wasn't it. I know it's a long shot, but if even Caesar Flickerman is calling for me to be pardoned, then...

Seneca swings around to face me, his eyes dark. "You understand that this is impossible."

Despite the heat in the room, my teeth begin to chatter.

"We pardon one person from the Games through pregnancy, every underage girl in Panem finds herself with a get-out-of-jail-free card. We can't allow that to happen, if only for the damage to the economy that would occur from such a baby boom."

I never noticed before now, but his eyes are thin slits, like a cats.

"Some argue that it is immoral to send a Mother and child into the arena, but then, even if the child survives, will it not be forced back into the reapings at aged twelve? What's the difference?" It looks like he expects an answer from me, but I don't have one to give. I stand still, my mouth resolutely shut.

"We cannot offer you a pardon from the Games, but we can offer you some extra help."

Help? What? Like, help inside the arena? Can they do that?

His expression is sombre. "With your consent, we can go now to the hospital and you can undertake the procedure. The Capitol can be told that you injured yourself while training and the child was lost."

What? It takes me a second, and then- then I get it. My fists clench, my jaw sets into place, and I back away from him, shaking my head and trying hard not to scream.

"Is this a fucking _joke_?" I screech, rage coursing through my veins, "Tell me you're kidding. Tell me you wouldn't actually-" I break off, bringing a hand up to my mouth.

He's not. He's not joking, he thinks that I'm actually going to even consider-

My eyes narrow into slits, and I take a step towards him, hands fisting up and my legs shaking.

"I WILL NOT KILL MY CHILD." I scream, marching towards him and preparing to beat him to death with my bare hands, "I WILL NOT KILL MY CHILD SO THAT YOU CAN FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR SICK, FUCKING TWISTED GAMES. I WILL NOT I WILL NOT I _WILL NOT_."

He's yelling something too, but not at me. I can't hear a word of it anyway. I can't hear anything. I can't hear, I can't think, I can't feel, I can't-

He's backing away from me, hands raised defensively and still yelling off to the side of him. He looks petrified.

"I AM NOT JUST A PIECE IN YOUR FUCKING SICK GAMES, I AM NOT GOING TO STAND FOR THIS, I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU TO PIECES YOU LITTLE-"

Forceful arms grab me from behind, dragging me to the floor. I can feel my heart pounding in my mouth as I continue shrieking mercilessly, the Veela in my blood taking over as the human part cowers back, burrowing deep inside myself.

"Incarcerous!" There's a call from behind me, and I feel thick, heavy ropes wind around my arms and legs, gagging my mouth and muffling my screams, but not stopping them. I writhe on the floor, tears erupting from behind my eyelids as I scream and scream and scream.

Another curse is called, and then the world goes black.

* * *

The world swims in and out of focus, various people surrounding me, talking in hushed voices, prodding at my arms and legs.

"She had a fit. Completely broke down. She'd have killed Seneca if the guards hadn't intervened."

"Stress, I suppose. The pregnancy can't help either."

"Did she know about what Teddy's doing?"

"I don't know."

"I don't understand why he's still doing it. She's here, isn't she? What worse could they possibly do?"

"Make her life hell in the arena."

"I suppose. Who's he with tonight?"

"I heard Narcissa Malfoy."

"You're kidding, she's married!"

"Like that's stopped any of the others."

"Like it'd stop me."

"Hey, don't. She's right there."

"Whatever. She's just another contestant. Being with Lupin doesn't mean she gets special treatment."

"She's all he ever talks about, there must be something special about her."

"Veela blood. He likes her because she's tall, blonde, hot, and skinny. Nothing else."

"He's been sleeping with people to stop the Capitol from hurting her."

"Shh!"

"What? Everyone knows it's true."

"You need to stop talking like this, Katniss. You're going to get yourself killed."

"Like I give a-"

"Shh! I think she's coming around."

"What? Victoire. Victoire can you hear me?"

"She's not. It was just a twitch. Look, her heart-rate's slowing again."

"Give her some more sedative, Seneca wants her down until they decide whether to go ahead with the procedure or not."

"I thought she said no."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I do."

"Shut up. Why don't you go bug someone else? I'm supposed to be treating a patient here."

"No-one else to bug."

"What about Finnick? If he's not at Malfoy Manor with Teddy he should be..."

And with that I drift out of consciousness again.

* * *

**So, hey! Look, THREE CHAPTER UPDATES IN THREE WEEKS. IT'S A MIRACLE.  
I told you guys I was getting my act together and I did. I did! HA.  
Okay, sorry, overexcited. It's past midnight so you'll have to bear with me.  
Now, as my little editing elves are all asleep at the moment (they're not like me, they worry about the consequences of falling asleep in a Physics lesson - Which is totally not what I did today. Yesterday. Whatever), anyway, my editing elves are asleep so the end of this hasn't been proof-read, and I have no idea whether or not it makes sense. I tried to make what was going on obvious, both with Seneca and Victoire conversation, and with Teddy, although my little elves will have gotten to work by tomorrow and if it doesn't make sense it will have been edited by this time tomorrow night.  
Another thing I'd like to say is that can we PLEASE not turn this into a debate about abortion? I get it, it's a controversial topic and everybody has their own opinion. Victoire has her views, I have mine, but at the end ****of the day, she's a fictional character, the baby is fictional, it really doesn't matter, so can we just leave it? (I'm really sorry if I sound condescending, but I just have this fear of people starting to scream at me that I'm a terrible person and I've had hate on the internet for my opinions before, and I have no wish to go through that again).  
I don't know if anybody's noticed the shiny new cover on here? I did it in ten minutes while avoiding Spanish homework, so a) it's not very good, b) I really, really don't know about Diana Agron as Victoire, and c) I just want something a bit less... crap. I spent actually ages searching for Victoire and Teddy's faces, and the closest I've managed to get is Diana Agron as Vic, and Nico Tortorella as Teddy. And neither of them are quite right, I can't really explain it but.. yeah. I have Georgie Henley as Lucy though, because no-one but her can ever be my Lucy, and she's set to become a major player later on in the story (spoiler alert). So yeah, any ideas, and that would be absolutely fantastic.  
On top of that, reviews, private messages, any kind of acknowledgement of my story feels so good, and as much as I love it when I find a review yelling at me to update RIGHT THIS INSTANT, constructive feedback is great, and so, so appreciated.  
As always, thank-you so much for taking the time to read my story, and as it is now twenty to one in the morning, I am going to sleep.  
Thanks again, and if it doesn't make sense or if the ending's just shit, shoot me an ask, but it should be edited properly by tomorrow.  
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW, and have a very Merry Christmas,  
Hannah :)**

**P.S. I almost forgot over the holidays I'm going off to France with the famallama for ski-ing and frolicking and whatnot. This means lots and lots of writing, but if I can't get hold of wifi, there'll be no updates until after Xmas when I get home. I'm not sure what the exact date is BUT IT'S THE DAY OF THE LAST EVER EPISODE OF MERLIN ADGADGDRHGADEHGDKEHGDFJBWSKJ FHGVWSLFJHBGWFHGVLKJFHGSH GWAAAAAAAAAIIIINE! Sorry. Right. So yeah, there may be a sudden explosion of updates on whatever day that is. The 27th? 28th? Something like that.  
P.P.S. ****Can you tell I'm suffering from sleep drunkenness? That's when you're so tired you start to act drunk. It's great.  
****P.P.P.S. ****Merry Christmas, again :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I don't talk to Teddy when he arrives. I refuse to so much as look at him after he's confirmed that my baby's still alive.

I hate him. I don't want that sonofabitch anywhere near me.

We go straight back to my rooms after the healer, Katniss, says I'm good to go. She smiles at me, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

Effie greets me enthusiastically, throwing her arms around my neck and laughing with utter glee. "Victoire! How utterly _marvellous _to have you back, I've missed you!" She pulls away from me and pouts, "I'm so sorry I didn't visit, I've just been so caught up in all this paperwork I have to do."

I grimace back at her, snaking my arm around her waist and forcing myself to make almost painful small talk. Anything to keep my attention away from Teddy's heartbroken stare.

He deserves it, I tell myself. He deserves everything he gets. Why the hell?! What the hell?! Maybe - maybe I was dreaming; I've got it wrong. Maybe...

We're halfway through dinner when Teddy excuses himself. He kisses the top of my head as he leaves, but I don't let myself react. I don't move a muscle. It's only once he's gone, long after the resounding ding of the elevator, that I break down in tears, my shoulders shaking as I slump over the table, completely catatonic until hours later, when Teddy finds me and carries me back to bed. He lays me down carefully, but doesn't bother to try and get in with me. Good, he knows his place.

That night, I sleep like a baby.

* * *

Training continues, but this time I don't hold back.

"Remember." Teddy tells me, expression solemn. "You want to do everything you can to inflict damage while conserving as much energy as you can. Go for the eyes, nose, ears, neck, groin, knee, and legs."

"Like this?" In one swift movement, I jerk my knee upwards, right between his legs. I can't deny that I enjoy the look on his face as he falls to his knees.

He whimpers, and I smile, leaving him where he is on the floor and moving away in search of something new to try out.

So far we've gone through hand-to-hand combat, shelter building, finding food, covering up tracks and keeping calm under the pressure of the arena. What we haven't done is weapons.

Striding over towards a set of human shaped targets, I scour the rack of weapons in front of me. Bows and arrows, swords, spears, daggers, axes, clubs, bricks, whips... anything I can think of that you could easily use to hurt or kill another human being.

At first I'm horrified. I can't use any of these. Not against Lucy, not against Lily, not against Louis or Dom or James or Freddie or Roxy or...

I stop my train of thought, reach out, and pick up the nearest weapon. A gleaming throwing knife. I can tell it's for throwing because although the edge is dull, the tip has been sharpened into a deadly point.

The year Teddy won, there were huge celebrations in District twelve. They sent street performers, and one of the acts was a troupe of knife throwers. They'd pick people out of the crowds to tie to boards and send knives flying, always missing the volunteer by an inch. I remember James and Freddie both having a go, and the expression on James' face as the knife went flying towards his head. He looked like he was going to wet himself. At the time it was hilarious. Now not so much.

"Throwing knives?" Teddy's recovered and come to hover at my shoulder. "If you're sure." He pauses, picking up a knife, "Hold it like you'd hold a hammer, but with your thumb along the spine."

I change my grip, but he shakes his head. "It's blade-heavy, so if you throw it like a javelin it'll just end up on the floor. Hold it the other way."

I'm hesitant, but I do as he says.

"Now bring your right foot back, bend your knees, and put your weight on the ball of your back foot."

Again I follow his instructions.

"You have to put your arms out straight in front of you, pointing towards the target." He demonstrates, arms stretched out towards the nearest target. Bring your right arm up behind your head and swing it forwards, like you're trying to chop a branch. As soon as you let go snap your fingers together, but remember to follow through.

I nod, and he steps back, watching closely as I get into position and raise the knife above my head.

"Steady," Teddy mutters, "don't let your hand shake, you'll be fine. Try imagining that it's Effie."

Despite myself, I smile.

Bringing my hand downwards, I let go of the knife, watching it sail through the air towards the target. It wobbles slightly, but the throw is true, and it plunges into the target with a satisfying sound, right into the centre of the target's chest.

Of course it's a fluke. I know it's a fluke because I was aiming for the face, but even so...  
Teddy, apparently, isn't as pessimistic as I am. He jumps into the air, whooping with joy. "Perfect!" He yells, grabbing me from behind and lifting me into the air in a bone-crunching bear hug. "You genius, brilliant!."

I don't laugh with him. Instead I stomp backwards with my right foot, digging all my weight into his instep. He winces, instinctively trying to step back, and I grab onto him, using his weight to throw him over my shoulder and onto his back on the floor.

From somewhere above me, I hear one of the game-makers laugh.

Scrambling to his feet, Teddy grins, over-enthusiastically. "Perfect. Brilliant. Well done."  
I raise my eyebrows.

He's about to say something else, but a loud buzzer cuts him off. The familiar siren means my training session's over. Time to go back to the rooms and sit in silence, avoiding Teddy's eyes and chatting with Effie about hair and clothes. Ugh.

No, wait, not tonight. Tonight there'll be the first six of the second round of interviews to watch. This time we have twenty minutes to convince the Capitol of our worth. It's split up over two nights, with districts one to six tonight and seven to twelve tomorrow.

Reaching out my hand to help Teddy up, I glance over towards where the Game-makers are watching on with mild interest. This year, instead of just having one training session in which Game-makers can decide our score, they watch everything we do. It's kind of unnerving, really.

Teddy's wise enough to keep out of my reach as we exit the room. I can see him smiling to himself though. Two weeks of training, and I can already floor him effortlessly? What will I be able to do in a month?

Back at my rooms, Effie's been waiting, as always.

"Oh darlings, you're just in time!" She exclaims, pulling me into a bony embrace, and then moving on to Teddy. "Ten minutes before they start. Oh, I can't wait to see what they have to say, I'm sure it's going to be the most-"

"Hey Effie, why don't you go fix your hair for the show?" Teddy breaks in, smiling curtly at her.

She gasps, poking at the mass of pink curls atop her head, and rushes off.

Eyes fixed on the floor, I mumble my thanks.

I'm about to move off when he catches my shoulder with his hand.

"Vic," He says quietly, searching my eyes, "Can we talk?"

I shake my head.

Shoulders slumping only slightly, he remains resolute. "Please? I know what Crane said to you, and I know it's my fault and I should never have let you go off with him, but..." He trails off, "I love you. I should have protected you and I didn't, but please, don't cut me out."

Now he's done it. Now he's crossed the line. I refuse to listen to this. How dare he? How dare he?!

I jerk myself away from him, breathing hard through my nose. "I am not not talking to you because of anything Seneca Crane has said to me. If you have any sense then you would know exactly what it is you've done wrong, and you should know that there is nothing you will ever be able to say that can put it right."

For a second he looks confused, then his face falls.

"Vic..."

"Don't you dare." My eyes fill with tears, voice wracked with desperate sobs, "Don't you dare."

Crestfallen, he backs away, arms falling to his sides and tears spilling over. "Please, I-"  
"Is there a problem here?"

The deep, familiar voice stops Teddy's sentence dead, and he jumps violently, spinning around on the spot and cursing.

"C-Cinna." He murmurs shakily. "I didn't know you were- I mean, what are you doing here?"  
Keeping his composure, folding his arms across his chest and taking a few steps forwards, Cinna looks coolly between the two of us, his eyes lingering on my tear streaked face. "I thought Victoire might appreciate some more moral support during the interviews." His tone is calm, but there's a crease between his eyebrows. He looks worried.

Brushing past Teddy without a second glance, he takes hold of my arm and leads me towards my bedroom. Teddy, hair rapidly turning bronze, goes to follow us. Cinna stops him with a shake of his head. "Do you have the night off?"

My eyes are too full of tears for me to be able to see if Teddy nods or shakes his head.

"Go out for a few hours, she'll be fine. Don't come back until the interviews are over."

"But-"

"I will deal with Victoire. Just have a night to enjoy yourself. Please."

Teddy must accept, because a second later Cinna's arm is around my shoulders, leading me into my bedroom and sitting me down gently on the edge of my bed.

It's only when I'm certain the door's closed that I allow myself to burst into frenzied sobs.  
I curl up, arms wrapped around my knees and my face hidden behind my hair. I don't want to be seen like this. Cinna doesn't even move to comfort me. I know he's still there, but he does nothing. He doesn't speak, doesn't move. I can feel his eyes on me, but it's a good ten minutes before his mouth opens, and he speaks.

"Victoire, you need to calm down."

I don't respond to his words.

"Crying will not help the situation. I'm not going to sit in here and comfort you like a child, because you are better than that. Sit up."

I've never heard Cinna's voice coming so forcefully before. Oh merlin, I've made him angry.

Wiping my cheeks, I manage to haul myself into a sitting position. My eyes are too bleary for me to see his face, but he's stood opposite me, arms crossed.

"I-I'm s-so-s-sorry," I choke, "I j-just... and he... and I don't want..."

"No. Shh, shh." In a rush, he's sat at my side, arm around me once more and the quiet, comforting, so very Cinna like tone returned. "I didn't mean to snap, but you have to calm down. We need to talk about this."

I nod my head once, eyelids fluttering closed briefly to try and get myself into the right frame of mind. I remember something Domi showed me a long time ago, of trying to detach myself from my feelings. Allow myself to go numb. Think without feeling.

Nodding once again, I open my eyes. "Okay."

"Okay," he says gently.

Steeling myself, I look up at him. "I overheard some nurses talking about Teddy... they said he was..."

"I can imagine." Cinna appears to be psyching himself up. He glances around the room nervously, and then leans in close, his voice barely a whisper. "While winning the Games brings many rewards, fighting off the tributes is not the only trial a winner will have to face."

I feel a chill rising up my spine. "What do you mean?" I breathe, leaning in even closer just to be able to hear him.

"I mean that I know of tributes who upon entering the Games, had families just as close to each other as yours are. Now... they have no-one."

Holy crap. Holy crap.

I'm shaking, trembling from head to toe. He can't mean...

"And you should know that you know one of them too."

My stomach drops.

"Teddy's Gran-" I gasp, but he clamps his hand down over my mouth.

"You remember what I said to you on the train?"

I nod. I remember. The walls have ears, and by the way he's glancing around, they might have eyes too.

Allowing himself to relax slightly, Cinna's hand drops away from my mouth. He speaks at a normal volume, "Anything that Teddy has done, he has only done because he has to, and because he loves you."

I think I'm going to be sick. This can't be real. This can't be happening. It has to be...

With a swift glance at his wrist, Cinna announces that the interviews are about to begin.

Back in the main room of the apartment, Effie, Octavia, Venia and Flavia (I'm familiar enough with my prep team, that I know each of their names now) sit on the elegant sofa in front of the huge Telescreen. Taking up a squishy armchairs each, sits Portia, Teddy's old stylist, and Teddy himself. Cinna raises his eyebrows, but says nothing, heading over towards the sofa and squashing in between Effie and Octavia.

I don't move for a few seconds, staring at Teddy. I can't believe it. I can't believe what's they've done to him. How did I not know? How did I not realise? He doesn't even glance at me as he takes a swig of his beer, hand shaking only slightly.

He's already lost his Gran, his one remaining piece of real family, and now I'm going to be taken away from him too. Me, and our baby. Everything he has left...

That's it. My jaw clenches, hands fisting up. It's over. I've made up my mind. I have to win. No more feelings, no more family ties. I have to win for Teddy; I can't not.

Without another seconds thought, I near Teddy's seat, touching his shoulder briefly, and then settling myself down in his lap. My eyes well up as his arms curl around me, but I bite back my tears, leaning in to press a kiss to the inside of his neck.

"I'm going to win," I whisper, too quietly for anybody else in the room to hear, "I'm going to win for you, Teddy."

He kisses me, staring deep into my eyes, and then nodding once. "You can do it. I know you can."

* * *

**Lucy's POV**

Four minutes, I think to myself, glancing up at the clock on the wall and attempting to act like I don't feel sick. Four minutes, and then I have to go out there in front of _all those people_.

I can't do it. I can't. I don't do people, I don't like them. They always speak either too loudly or too quietly, and even when you can understand what they're saying, most of the time they'll be telling lies. People.. no. I've never been a people person. I know that if my circumstances right now were inside a book, I'd be glued to the pages, entranced by it all, begging to know what's going to happen next. But this - this is reality, and in reality, you can't go back and relive the first chapter, where everything is so carefree and happy (albeit a little hungry). There's no going back. I have to go forwards, and going forwards means the Hunger Games, and the Hunger Games means death.

I'm scared, filled up with the kind of fear that slices at your insides like a knife. Katrina and I have gone through everything; every possible scenario we can think of, but the truth is, we have no idea what to expect. Nothing like this has ever happened before in the games, and I'm going to be up there for twenty minutes. What do I talk about for twenty minutes? Not my life, not my personality. We covered that in the last interview. What is there left?

Katrina suspects foul play. She thinks that they're going to throw a curveball at us, try to undermine our confidence and shake us up... but as if I had any confidence in the first place. At home I was introverted and shy, preferring books to people. And those qualities aren't diminished by knowing that you're not going to survive the next month.

It was stupid of me, I suppose, to take comfort in what Vic said. She said someone would volunteer for me, I'd never be picked, it couldn't happen... how wrong can a person be?

"Lucy?"

The delicate, comforting hand lands on my shoulder, and I look up. It's Katrina, of course it is, and she looks as stunning as ever. Her shining mahogany hair is twisted up behind her head, showing off her cheekbones and perfectly sculpted eyebrows. Of course her lips are doused in her trademark purple lipstick, a polar opposite to her pale white skin. She has one of those faces that could never look cruel, whatever expression it wears.

Some people in the Capitol hate her. They've branded her ugly, odd-looking, unnatural. They're wrong. I know they're wrong, because never before in my life have I ever seen a woman as beautiful as Katrina Gold is tonight.

I smile back at her, taking in her reassuring smile through my eyelashes, and scratching at the back of my neck.

Taking a seat beside me, she reaches up and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"You nervous?"

Almost laughing, I exhale shakily, "A little."

She shrugs sympathetically, "Well, worst case scenario iyou pull a blank and sit there in silence for twenty minutes. And there are badder ways for your interview to go down."

I don't bother correcting her grammar. Katrina's a force of nature; there's no arguing with her.

I can tell she's thinking about her interview though. It was only the year before last, but it's still one of the funniest things to happen in the history of the Hunger Games.

She's from district one, and the whole Capitol expected a dress similar to the one she had on for the presentation, all jewels and sparkles in keeping with the theme of her district. Instead, Katrina sauntered onto the stage wearing baggy jeans and a t-shirt bearing the phrase 'Your gay', another grammatical error, but one which I've come to think may not have been an accident. She slumped down into her seat before Caesar Flickerman even had a chance to introduce her, and opened with a grunted, "S'up."

Even today she still has a reputation in the Capitol for getting into fights with other winners, particularly the careers, and generally causing trouble. I suspect if she wasn't so popular in the less wealthy districts, the Capitol would already have found some easy way to get rid of her.

I'm shaken out of my thoughts by Katrina poking me gently. "I've got an idea."

I nod, watching closely as she fishes around in her bag, pulling out a small tube of lipstick. She takes the top off, and I smile.

"Open up."

I open my mouth very slightly, and she applies the deep purple tint to my lips.

Katrina steps back, shoving the lipstick into one of the hidden pockets on her dress and grinning. "Ready?"

Trying hard not to lick my lips, I bow my head, standing up and feeling a wave of dizziness rush over me. I stumble, and Katrina catches me around the waist, staring at me worriedly. "You okay?"

I nod, and she releases me, turning her head in the direction of the stage.

From here we can see what's going on. Stage hands dart back and forth, tapping microphones and conversing with Caesar in hushed tones. Of course he's already in place, microphone in hand and grin stitched into place.

Ignoring him, I turn back to Katrina, who's stood watching me with quiet concern.

"Are you scared?" She asks, taking my hands and bending down so that she can be at the same height as I am, "It's okay to be scared. I'm scared for you."

I swallow, but decide on telling her the truth. "I'm not scared of doing my interview."

She frowns, delicate fingers working on fixing a loose strand of my hair. "What are you scared of then?"

"I'm scared my cousins are going to say they want me to win because I'm younger than them." All of a sudden, my eyes fill with tears. "I mean, what do I say to that? I don't want them to - I can't let them - And Vic.. a-and the baby and... and..."

I break off, tears streaming.

"Oh no, Luce -" All at once, Katrina's arms are around me, and she's pulling me into a motherly embrace. "It's okay. It's okay, you're going to be fine, you're going to be okay."  
I don't believe her for a second. This is real life; I don't get to be Queen Lucy of Narnia in this story. This is the story where one family fights to the death, leaving the survivor bitter and alone.

Still, I cling onto her, burying my head into her shoulder and trying so so hard to be brave like Queen Lucy the Valiant. What was it that Aslan said to her? "If you were any braver, you'd be a lioness." That's me. I'm a lioness. Just like the little girl my Father named me after. I can do it, I can be brave, I can be strong.

I pull away from Katrina, realising with a jolt that the show has begun. Any second Caesar's going to gesture towards my side of the stage and call out my name, leaving me completely -

"Our first tribute, Lucy Weasley!"

I pull a blank, staring at Katrina, utterly horrified, until she has the sense to spin me around and give me a quick shove in the right direction.

Head up and staring straight ahead, I walk forwards as daintily as I can manage, onto the stage, and under the glare of the beady-eyed cameras.

* * *

**Hugo's POV**

Pain. Pain, fear, pain. More pain.

A familiar voice echoes up from nearby, and I snarl. I know that voice. I'd know that voice anywhere. It's a voice that sounds like nails on a chalkboard, the sound a cat makes when it needs putting down, the grating of a thousand chain-saws.

I howl, pressing the palms of my hands against my eyes and screaming for the sound to end.

Maybe if I find out where it's coming from, who it belongs to, I can make it stop.

Maybe it can end.

My eyes snap open.

She's there. She's right there in front of me, her repulsive face contorted into a smile, eyes staring straight at me, a streak of wetness down her cheek.

It was her. She's the one who caused my pain.

"And I just want my Mum and Dad to know I love them, and whatever happens, you have to be there for whoever comes back. You have to stay a family, because -"

A taller man breaks cuts in, his deeper voice ringing out in a booming laugh that's music to my ears. Anything right now is a welcome break to the piercing voice of that - that _monster._

I'll kill her. I don't care who she is. Even thinking about her is like ants crawling underneath my skin. I'll kill her. She has to die. She can't live, I can't let her. She's caused me so, _so much_ pain and I am going to make her pay. She'll wish she'd never even heard my name. I'm going to make her rue the day she ever thought she could play with Hugo Weasley.

Soon, he promises me. Soon, it'll be my time to play. Soon I'll have what I want. Her, and all of those other horrifying demon faces flashing up onto the screen. I'll kill them. I'll kill them all.

* * *

**Lily's POV**

What am I doing here? Why is this happening? I don't understand.

This isn't meant to happen to me; I'm Lily. I'm Lily the girl who makes daisy chains and sings songs. I'm Lily the one that smiles and tells jokes to make my brothers laugh.

I can't do this. Not here, not now.

Hugo's on TV. He's on TV and he keeps snarling. There's saliva in the corner of his mouth. He says he wants to kill us and I don't understand.

He's supposed to be the happy one. He's the one that makes up all these stupid songs, and dances around, and is so camp it's unreal. They've turned him into... he's a...

My mentor, Scorpius, stands a few feet behind me. He's smiling. He can see what they've done to Hughey and he's smiling because he thinks it's funny. He think it's so, so funny.

"Why the long face, Lily-flower?" He pouts, taunting me. "Are you upset that I didn't turn you into a little psycho like your cousin?"

I'd retaliate, but I don't have the strength to move a muscle. I want to lay down and cry. I won't be able to deal with my turn because I don't want to see his face. I know he thinks it's all his fault and I can't stand it. It's not. It's not, but how do I tell him that when I'm just so scared.

I slide off the seat, my light dress swirling around me. There has to be another way, there has to be. Think, Lily, think. Do something. Do anything.

In a fit of utter despair, I drop to the floor.

I'm completely and utterly alone.

* * *

**Louis' POV**

The world hurts. It hurts so bad I can't move, can't even breathe.

I don't know anything apart from the pain.

Pain, pain, and more pain.

So many faces flashed up in front of me.

So many faces that make my stomach twist, filled with such deep anger and hatred.

Girl.

There's a girl in front of me now.

No. Not with me.

Telescreen.

Hurts.

Voice. Voice hurts. Horrible voice. Horrible, horrible, horrible. Make it stop make it stop.

Pain.

Pain.

More pain.

No. Girl. Familiar.

Red hair, green eyes. Friend.

Not friend. Pain.

Friend. Family.

No family of mine. Too much pain.

Yes! Yes family! Yes friend, yes family!

Girl friend. Girl family.

Girl Demon. Girl torturer. Girl evil.

Girl _Lily_.

* * *

**Roxanne's POV**

Another slinky catsuit for me. Excellent.

I smirk at the TV screen, somewhat amused by Louis' trembling and hesitant manner of speaking. It's funny, I'd have thought Albus would be the one to stutter on TV. I glance up at my mentor, and we laugh together, both of us taking great amusement in the proceedings.

My cousins... We used to all be so _close_, everything so happy-go-lucky. It was sickening, really. I'm glad it's over.

At least now I don't have to pretend to be best buddies with that snivelling bitch, Dominique.

No. None of that matters any more, because I'm going to be the one to win.

I'm a good fighter, I know that. I can work a knife, an axe, I can throw a spear over twenty metres and have it hit a target the size of a golf ball.

I'm going to be the Weasley to go back home and announce that no, all those times Dad spent hanging around with my perfect, clever, funny, attractive big brother have gone to waste. I might have been a disappointment in the past, but from here, things are going up.

I've spent years of my life playing the good girl. Gossiping about boys, talking about what's going to happen once I marry Finnick Odair (it's still top of my to-do list once I get out of the arena), generally laughing and joking, acting like I'm just another one of those stupid giggling schoolgirls. I'm done with that. From now on, I am living no-one else's life. This is going to be the one selfish thing I get in my life, and I'm going to beat the others. They'll try and steal it from me, but I'll take it. I'll take the prize, and I'll take the glory. _And_ I'll take care of my stupid family on the way.

* * *

**Albus' POV**

Life's funny, isn't it? One day you're born, the next... you're being thrust into an impossible scenario with nothing left to do except come to terms with the fact that while life has been good to you so far, it's about to come to an end.

I've never been the kid in the spotlight, far from it. I shy away from other people, hiding on the edges of every conversation I'm a part of, letting other people walk all over me like I'm dirt.

I never minded. Why would I? It's a living. Who says you have to be the outgoing one all the time anyway? I was happy. I was content.

But that's not my life any more.

Maybe if I was younger; twelve, thirteen, there might be someone out there rooting for me, someone in our family that might think that I'm the one with the right to live. I hate to admit it to myself, but I don't want to die. I'm not the Gryffindor, I'm not my brother. All I'll ever be is the quiet middle child. Not cute enough to pull off Lucy's adorable, quiet, bookworm image, but never having a hope in hell of exuding the same kind of performance as Roxy, dancing across the flickering screen of the TV in front of me, draping herself all over Caesar, winking and smirking.

Lucy will have family members backing her up: Molly; Rose; maybe Vic and Dom.

Roxy needs no man. She could kill with one look.

But if I could take bets, I'd bet on Victoire.

She's pregnant, for Merlin's sake. However cute Lucy is, Vic is worth two lives right now. She's carrying on the Weasley bloodline, and that has to count for something. However I end up leaving this world, I want it to be to protect Victoire, and to protect the most precious thing in the world right now. I like the idea that out of all of the blood, tears and fear, there could be light at the other end. Light, and life.

* * *

**SDJHFBADSRJGBKGJHTBGAKJDBGA ****Chapter six done!**

**Now for a while I was hesitant about doing the whole other cousin's point of view thing, but I thought, what the hell, so I've given it a go. I'm just really interested in the psychology of the other cousins, and at the start of next chapter you'll get to see the other four, until we've come back around to Victoire. ****I can't take total credit for this, actually, because Pooja (the best reviewer I've ever had in my life - go check her out - Chronic Potterphile) approached me and asked if I was going to be doing any chapters from the POV of one of the other cousins, and although I had (and still do have) another full chapter from a different character's POV planned, it was her message that got me thinking about more different POV chapters, and then this happened.**

**Feedback on the whole chapter, including the other POV's would be much appreciated, as I'm still not 100% that it really works, and I'd like to be able to hear what people think.**

**As to the actual Games, because I'm really anxious for them to start as soon as possible, I'm hoping to have them begin at the end of next chapter. As always, it depends how the chapter pans out, and what I end up doing with it.**

**Apart from that, I think I'm going to switch off my computer now, because I've spent all night dealing with drunk friends on the phone (-_-), and it's half two in the morning, and I need to be up reasonably early tomorrow in order to go and see Les Mis! Yay!**

**As usual, review review review! I love every single one of you out there just for reading this far, but if you just take thirty seconds of you life to tell me you like it, you have no idea how happy that would make me. **

**So Goodbye for now, thank you for reading, and I really do hope you give me some kind of feedback, or even just a 'hey, I liked the story'. They really do make all the difference.**

**Hannah :)**

**P.S. New cover. I think I like this one more than the last one, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to change the background to red. It's more dramatic. I prefer AnnaSophia Robb as Victoire to Diana Agron, or maybe it's just me. (Bridge to Terrabithia is about baby Teddy and Vic, nobody will ever convince me otherwise)**


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